By Emmanuel Eneojo Akagu
emmanuelakagu@gmail.com
Climate change directly and indirectly results in human health risks. Unfortunately in developing countries in the tropics like Nigeria, safeguarding human health from the impact of climate change is more crooked than the case of a troop passing through a landmine field. Give me a chance and I’ll set it all straight.
Case in point, cholera outbreak. In 2010, according to the United Nations report, 1555 people in Nigeria died from cholera, and 38173 cases in total were reported as a result of heavy rains and excessive floods; in 1991, it was 7654 deaths, according to statistics from WHO, where 80% of those reported cases were women and children.
The outbreak was as a result of excessive rains and flooding in rural areas where there was no access to potable water and improved sanitation, and it was proliferated by ingesting water and food contaminated with human or animal faeces. In several of these communities, sewage flows down dirt paths or indiscriminately during heavy rains, polluting water sources like streams and wells as the flood is washed down water channels. More than half the population of Nigeria lack access to clean water and improved sanitation. Also, poor basic education among rural villagers and inadequate number of health personnel in clinics and hospitals aided the spread of the disease.
In April 2017, the UN indicted climate change for the rise of health risks worldwide. In a report prepared by the UN in collaboration with WHO, some countries and other specialist groups under the Nairobi work program – the United Nations Knowledge-for-Action Climate Resilience Network, it was highlighted that certain groups are more susceptible to climate-sensitive health impacts than others. These are based on age, gender, health and social status. Also, it indicated that infectious diseases, including water borne, water washed, water based and water related diseases, are particularly sensitive to climate conditions, where it implicated the rise in temperature in the tropics with the increase of incidences of diarrhoea. The report further stressed that the conditions for transmission of diseases like malaria fever is expanded by climate change, also increasing their geographical range. Heat waves are among new and emerging health issues that would result from climate change; Heat stress increases risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and renal diseases, while making working conditions unbearable. Displacement of people as a result of increasing extreme weather events also increases the risk of mental and physical health concerns. Most importantly, it highlighted the risk of malnutrition and under-nutrition as a result of flooding and droughts, particularly in the tropical regions of Asia, Latin America and Africa, like Nigeria.
One of the most peculiar results of climate change (global warming) is the melting of polar icecaps, like has been evidently shown over Antarctica and the Arctic regions by NASA in 2017, provoking a rise in sea level, and causing flood risks of coastal regions. Another result of climate change is irregular precipitation and excessive rains in the hinterlands, also resulting in widespread floods many times when it rains. This has been the case in many northern Nigerian cities in 2017, including Benue, Kogi and Niger, and the floods in coastal cities Lekki and Victoria Island in Lagos are no longer news. But the nature of city development and sprawling urban settlements in Nigeria, often without channels and provision for city drainages and a modern mechanism for sewerage, sewage and sludge collection, pollution of municipal water supply systems becomes almost inevitable.
The global agitation for tackling climate change and mitigating its impact has never been more raucous. These health risks constitute a global emergency, not just a burden on Nigeria, but we have a vital role to play as the leading black nation in every front, and show a new direction out of the enormous economic, social and environmental burdens that the health risks associated with the impact of climate change poses. Urban planners and designers of Nigeria’s cities have to be abreast of necessary information that will allow them to design a city that will be sustainable and consider a sewerage, sewage and sludge system that is consonant with modern global systems to prevent water born, water based and related diseases. The state has to be more responsive in waste collection and disposal by employing modern waste management practices of re-use, recycling and incineration. Nigeria is one country where, even in major cities like Abuja and Lagos, waste litters the landscape in residential areas, parks, and boulevards; and in the landfills there are no specialist personnel with the know-how of management of landfill sites, a view of them often is like looking at the Grand Canyon of ineptitude.
These are instances where we’ve shot ourselves on the foot from day one. To mitigate this impact of climate change on our health requires more than just righteous anger, as Barack Obama would say: “it requires a program, and it requires organizing.”

It's time we venture into expanding our horizon on our knowledge of Environmental Management so as to be able to coordinate all aspects of pollution control, waste management, recycling, environmental health, conservation and renewable energy within our sprawling urban centres and even our immediate communities. We need to lead the implementation of best environmental policies and practices through ensuring total compliance with environmental legislation and international regulation and legislation which will guarantee good quality and quantity of clean water, improved ecosystems, beneficial use of renewable energy and better monitoring of industry guilty of emission of green house gas which drastically hampers climate change.