Water

Daily life in Freetown, Sierra Leone, one of three West African countries most affected by the outbreak of the Ebola virus.
Photo: World Bank/Dominic Chavez

un.org

15 January 2015 – Spearheaded by the United Nations, a team of international experts has begun an Ebola Recovery Assessment (ERA) mission in Sierra Leone as part of an effort to partner with Governments to address the impact of the virus on affected countries. 

The ERA mission is made up of experts from the European Union, World Bank and the African Development Bank. They are expected to finish their work this weekend in Accra, Ghana after a one-day stop in Guinea tomorrow. 

The mission’s aim is to work with the Governments of the countries hardest hit by the virus –Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea – to assess critical areas that will spearhead economic and social recovery in the post-Ebola era.

According to a statement released by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, David McLachlan-Karr, the ERA is anchored in national ownership.

Abstract

The earth temperature has increased by 1°F since 1950s, causing climate change, therefore, the proliferation of climate change-related disasters (CCRDs). Scientists believe that humans caused about half of the increase. CCRDs can result in serious disruptions of the functioning of society and cause widespread human, material, or environmental losses that exceed the local capacity to respond, resulting in the need for external assistance. Poor countries are the most vulnerable to CCRDs as they are lacking adequate resources to cope with these crises.

Conakry vulnerability to CCRD was assessed by answering to a series of questions designed for that purpose. The questions were answered, based on available literature on GOOGLE online search engine and documents received from government employees in Conakry.

CURRENT CONDITIONS Guinea has a tropical climate with two alternating seasons, a November–March dry season and an April–October rainy season. In general, rainfall increases from north to south. Average annual rainfall is 1,988 mm. Rice is the staple crop, and other important food crops are corn, fonio groundnuts, and cassava. Most of the population is rural, and the agricultural sector is the major employer. Urbanization is a growing phenomenon in Guinea. Agricultural GDP remained at about 20 percent of total GDP between the mid-1980s and 2005. By 2009, that share declined to less than 10 percent, reflecting a stagnation in agricultural productivity and the growth of other sectors like mining and the service sector.  

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Cholera is usually due to inadequate sanitation and water treatment systems. Tropical countries like Guinea and Sierra Leone are known to have very poor sanitation system which condition creates a breeding ground for diseases like cholera. According to The New York Times, from February to August of year 2012, cholera killed 392 while infecting more than 25,000 in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Please click here to read more.