Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Adaptation in the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector in Nicaragua

Climate change is at the top of the
development agenda in Central America. This region, together
with the Caribbean, is highly vulnerable to the effects of
climate change in Latin America. Climate change is
manifesting itself through higher average temperatures and
more frequent droughts that result in higher water stress,
and through the rising frequency of extreme weather events
such as tropical storms, hurricanes, floods and landslides,
all of which pose significant challenges in the rural water
supply and sanitation sector. The paper starts with a review
of the historic data on temperature and precipitation trends
in Central America and particularly at the regional level in
Nicaragua. The data reveal a clear trend of the growing
climate variability, increased water stress for crops, and
greater frequency of extreme weather events. The rising
intensity and frequency of ex-treme weather events is among
the most critical risks to the region's development
agenda, and they translate into high economic losses. This
paper examines the impacts and implications of potential
climate change on water resources in Nicaragua and makes key
recommendations to integrate climate change and rural water
supply and sanitation policies and programs in a way that
increase resilience to current and future climate conditions.