Antalya, Türkiye — Water security, sanitation and climate-driven extremes have become central issues at COP31, where the Turkish Presidency has placed resilient water management within its formal Action Agenda for the first time.
Water is included in Activation Group 14 under Axis 4, which focuses on cities, infrastructure and water. The priority builds on the Baku Dialogue launched at COP29 and is aligned with the Global Goal on Adaptation’s water target. A Water for Climate Pavilion and sessions on food systems, urban resilience and transboundary cooperation are also part of the programme.
World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned that extreme heat and water stress are undermining agricultural productivity. Citing joint analysis with the Food and Agriculture Organization, she said heat has reduced the productivity of the world’s farms by a fifth since 1961. When heat and drought occur together, crop losses can be nearly three times higher.
Saulo also highlighted worsening water availability, saying that more than four in ten land areas had less water than normal last year, compared with about one in four in a typical year. She pointed to climate information as a practical response, citing farmers in Burkina Faso who increased sorghum yields by 35 per cent while halving fertiliser use after receiving tailored seasonal forecasts.
Türkiye’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that rising temperatures and evaporation could reduce the country’s available water resources by around 25 per cent by the end of the century. Türkiye is implementing a 2026–2035 National Water Plan supported by projects worth more than $1.4 billion, including irrigation modernisation and flood- and drought-management measures.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raised concerns about the weaponisation of water and called for water-sharing agreements to be respected, particularly to protect downstream communities. He linked water security to the need for grant-based climate finance.
Despite growing recognition of water in national climate plans, sanitation and wastewater remain underrepresented, while financing gaps and weak implementation pathways persist. Analysts are also urging governments to address the full water cycle rather than treating floods and droughts as separate challenges.
With negotiations continuing through November 20, attention will turn to whether COP31 can translate the stronger focus on water into decisions on finance, adaptation indicators and national planning ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.
Source: TOP AFRICA NEWS
