Zambia

River systems worldwide are under significant anthropogenic pressures and climate-related challenges, leading to ecosystem degradation and increased flood risk. This chapter demonstrates how Nature Based Solutions (NbS) can contribute to river restoration while reducing flood risk, supporting wider sustainable goals. To this end, this chapter evaluates the effectiveness of NbS interventions in river restoration and flood risk management in the Kitwe City, Zambia. The methodology involves using a hydraulic model to simulate river flow under different NbS scenarios (retention ponds and woodland reforestation), and to compare the simulated flood depth and flow velocity in pre- and post-intervention conditions. The findings indicate that the presence of NbS significantly reduces flood risks, with retention ponds and woodlands leading to flood depth reductions ranging from 0.09 m to 0.18 m and 0.06 m to 0.11 m, respectively. Regarding flow velocities, retention ponds reduced them by an average of 0.11m/s, and woodlands, by 0.07 m/s. These results indicate that both NbS types reduce flood depth and velocity, with ponds being slightly more effective than woodland in the particular setting of the Kitwe District. The findings suggest that integrating NbS into river restoration can mitigate flood risks, improve ecosystem resilience, and contribute to long-term sustainability. These results inform risk management policies and emphasise the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to upscale NbS for maximum ecological and societal benefits.

Zambia, like many regions in southern Africa, has been severely impacted by the 2024 El Nio event. This climate pattern, characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, has triggered prolonged droughts and heatwaves across the country. The agricultural sector, a cornerstone of Zambiaapos;s economy and a vital source of livelihood, has been particularly hard-hit by these climatic shocks. Crop production losses have been substantial, with staple crops like maize and sorghum experiencing significant declines in yield. This has threatened food security at both household and national levels and also disrupted agricultural value chains, leading to economic hardship for farmers and communities reliant on agriculture. The drought has also exacerbated water scarcity, affecting both domestic and agricultural water supplies. This has had cascading effects on livestock production, health, and sanitation, further undermining the resilience of vulnerable communities. The widespread impact of the 2024 El Nio event highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive and proactive drought action plan in Zambia. This plan must address the immediate challenges posed by the recent drought while building long-term resilience to future climate variability and change. This workshop aims to bring together key stakeholders to develop a robust drought action plan for Zambia. The workshop is jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Zambia, and CGIAR initiatives on Climate Resilience quot;ClimBeR,quot; Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA), Digital Innovation of Water Secure Africa (DIWASA), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The agenda is in Annex 1.

Southern Africa faces significant impacts of El Nio primarily in the form of droughts. Zambia is not an exception. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), rainfall anomaly and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) are robust indicators for drought studies due to their distinct and complementary roles. Our results reveal severe meteorological drought conditions in Zambia using SPI and rainfall anomaly. VCI values have declined in the cropping season due to vegetation stress induced by water deficit conditions. Low rainfall leads to widespread deterioration of crop production, with approximately 40.46% of the country experiencing drought conditions in 2023–2024. The Central, Eastern, Southern, Lusaka, and Copperbelt provinces showed lower VCI values in March and April 2024, indicating poor crop health and drought-like conditions. On the other hand, low rainfall has substantially influenced hydropower reservoirs. Significant surface water loss is observed in the hydropower reservoirs such as Itezhi Tezhi Dam (117.40 sq. km), Mita Hills Dam (25.72 sq. km) and in parts of Lake Kariba (58.72 sq. km) between December 2023 and April 2024. This loss has disrupted industries relying on water resources and hindered hydropower generation, leaving substantial portions of the population without electricity for extended periods. The present study aims to explore the power of open access Earth Observation data and cloud analytics to evaluate the extent and multi-sectoral impact of the recent drought in Zambia. Results highlight the upcoming challenges the country might face in food and nutrition and the critical need for stakeholder involvement and policy design to mitigate future crises and strengthen vulnerable communities.