WaterAid and Tree Aid are urging policymakers across West Africa to act decisively on the growing link between forest loss and water scarcity, warning that millions could face worsening water insecurity if action is delayed.
The two organisations say that protecting forests is no longer just an environmental issue, it’s a matter of water, health, and survival. Their study, “From Roots to Rivers: How Deforestation Impacts Freshwater Access,” reveals how trees and forests play a quiet but critical role in regulating water. When trees disappear, rainfall patterns shift, rivers run dry, and the natural systems that store and filter water begin to break down.
WaterAid and Tree Aid are calling for stronger collaboration between ministries that often work in isolation, those responsible for water, forestry, agriculture, and climate, to address what they describe as an intertwined crisis.
The report recommends that governments embed forest–water management into national development plans, including Ghana’s Water Policy and Forest Plantation Strategy. It also urges greater investment in nature-based solutions such as watershed restoration, reforesting degraded lands, and promoting sustainable land-use practices that restore the natural balance between rain, soil, and water.
But beyond policies and plans, the two organisations stress the importance of people, especially local communities, farmers, and women who rely directly on forest and water resources. They say lasting change will depend on empowering these communities with tools, knowledge, and secure land rights so they can protect the ecosystems their lives depend on.
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Regional cooperation is another key point. Ghana, Niger, and Nigeria share river basins and climate vulnerabilities, and the report calls for cross-border collaboration through data sharing, joint monitoring, and climate adaptation planning to secure freshwater systems for millions across the region.
The numbers tell a sobering story. Ghana loses around 24,800 hectares of forest each year, while Nigeria loses about 27,000 hectares. In Niger and Nigeria, for every 1,000 hectares of forest lost, nearly 9.25 hectares of surface water vanish. Though changing rainfall patterns may temporarily mask the problem, the long-term impact is clear, the water cycle is becoming dangerously unstable.
In Ghana, the effects are already visible. Over the last decade, widespread vegetation loss has left many communities struggling with dry rivers, parched farmland, and shrinking groundwater reserves. Farmers talk about unpredictable rains and drying streams that once flowed year-round, signs of a delicate balance tipping away.
Across West Africa, more than 122 million people in Ghana, Niger, and Nigeria are now at risk of unsafe drinking water, a rise of 20 million in just five years. The report links this to unchecked deforestation, poor watershed management, and intensifying climate pressures.
WaterAid and Tree Aid say the solution lies in moving beyond fragmented, one-sector-at-a-time approaches. They urge governments to link forest restoration directly with national water strategies, channel climate finance into ecosystem protection, and strengthen local capacity to manage forests and water together.
