Water not only rules everyday life in Bunyala (located on the shorelines of Lake Victoria, Busia County, Kenya), but also kills. The village experiences recurrent floods that wipe out houses and people, while the lake increasingly claims new lands according to its inhabitants. And these episodes can become more and more frequent in a country especially vulnerable to climate extremes. Last November, Kenya suffered a destructive event of heavy rainfall, just after the worst drought in 40 years –attributed to the current manmade climatic emergence. Annual rainfall patterns in zones such as Busia –which traditionally experienced two rainfall seasons per year-, have also become more unpredictable.
But water also kills indirectly: the increase in the incidence of extreme events, such as Bunyala’s floods, create a “perfect storm” for malaria in the area. These events not only favor the development of the Anopheles mosquito –which transmits the disease-, but also the proliferation of displacement camps and the disruption of the provision of health care and prevention services. While Kenya has reduced the prevalence of malaria more than 50% during the last decade, Busia County doubles the national average.
By Raquel Seco (El País).
Original source: https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2024-09-22/las-sequias-seguidas-de-inundaciones-convierten-el-lago-victoria-en-un-paraiso-para-la-malaria.html
Photo by Bill WEGENER on UNSPLASH