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This brief discusses how water-related natural disasters are major obstacles to human well-being and sustainable development. Almost three quarters of all natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were related to water (UNESCO and UN-Water 2020). Climate change has made extreme weather events more severe by altering their frequency, timing, intensity and duration. In West Africa, climate change impacts manifest especially through floods and droughts. Without adequate adaptation and mitigation measures, hundreds of millions of people will be at greater risk of hunger, disease, energy shortages and poverty due to water scarcity, pollution or flooding.

Its key messages are as follows:

• Climate change projections call for adaptation and mitigation measures at different scales and the use of integrated water solutions.
• Early warning systems and climate-resilient water storage infrastructure are crucial for combatting drought.
• Measures should be promoted that enhance water-use efficiency, participatory and inclusive water landscape plans, risk and vulnerability assessments, and demand-driven digital innovations.