Water and trees, the two most essential components for life on earth, are at major risk as new research confirms that deforestation is driving widespread water loss, impacting at least 122 million people in West Africa.
A report titled “From roots to rivers: how deforestation impacts freshwater access,” has revealed that deforestation is disrupting Ghana and other West African countries’ water cycle, jeopardising millions of people’s health, well-being and livelihoods.
“Without urgent and decisive action to make sure everyone everywhere has clean water, more than 5 billion people could experience water scarcity by 2050,” the report warned.
The research further established that there was a clear and alarming link between deforestation and loss of water as the former was stretching water systems to the limit, exposing millions of people to the devastating impacts of climate change.
About report
The report was released by scientists at WaterAid, in partnership with Tree Aid, yesterday, November 5, ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), which takes off in Brazil from November 10.
The study was based on 12 years of earth observation data gathered by satellite, population data sets and statistical analysis over the period between 2013 and 2025.
Ghana, Niger and Nigeria were chosen due to their varied ecological situations and climates.
Striking revelation
The report found that 45 per cent of West Africa’s population now lived in high-risk water zones, with 99.5 per cent of water in Niger deemed at risk of being unsafe.
In the specific case of Ghana, the report found that 24,800 hectares of forests are being lost on the average each year while 85.6 million people in Nigeria live in areas at high risk of water loss linked to deforestation.
The research stressed that the alarming rate of forest loss every year had resulted in high-water risk driving illness, crop failure and dehydration.
For instance, the report revealed that for every 1,000 hectares of forest cleared in Niger and Nigeria, almost 10 hectares of surface water disappear, reducing access to clean drinking water, which puts communities at risk from disease, food insecurity and displacement.
“This is because forests regulate rainfall, capture moisture, and recharge groundwater. When they are destroyed, the long-term quality and quantity of available freshwater dramatically decline, leading to a dangerous increase in drought and desertification,” the report added.
Additionally, the report revealed that climate change was disrupting water sources in Ghana through heavy rainfall, masking the true impact of deforestation.
Call to action
The Patron of Tree Aid, Adjoa Andoh, who authored the report’s foreword, highlighted the need to tackle water insecurity and deforestation as interconnected challenges.
“We are all interconnected and finding ways to work together is our only future,” she stressed.
She added that with the report coming just a few days before COP30 in Brazil, it was important for global leaders to note that any attempt to tackle either deforestation or water access in silo would be a failure.
The Regional Director for WaterAid West Africa, Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed, said the findings of the research had buttressed the point that trees and water were the essence of life in West Africa’s forest communities and around the world.
“Trees draw water into the earth, enrich soil for farmers, and shield land from floods. But as forests fall, water is vanishing at a ruthless rate.
This catastrophic impact of deforestation is slipping under the radar of world leaders – a ticking time bomb for millions of people’s access to clean water,” he said.
Mr Mohammed said it was in that respect that governments across the globe needed to use COP30 as an opportunity “to step up, listen to the voices of communities most at risk, and take urgent action to tackle the interconnected nature, water and climate crisis.”
