ReliefWeb

By SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL Operations Management in Chad

Chad is facing an overlap of interconnected crises. Against a backdrop of chronic poverty and low development (187th out of 189 countries according to the Human Development Index), the country is considered one of the most vulnerable to climate change in the world. High variations in rainfall cause increasingly violent cycles of drought and floods. For example, 30 million people depend on Lake Chad for their survival, even though the lake is now ten times smaller than in 1963. 78% of the urban population has access to drinking water, in comparison to just 32% in rural areas. Changes in transhumance routes as a result of climate change, the disruption of agricultural and pastoral calendars and the early onset of critical lean periods for both humans and animals, combined with exacerbated pressure on natural resources, may together trigger more frequent agro-pastoral tensions. In addition, inadequate water and sanitation systems and the increased risk of flooding are a breeding ground for water-borne diseases. In 2019, a cholera epidemic broke out in the south-western part of the country3. All of these factors have an impact on the country’s already fragile nutritional situation.