Abstract:
Climate change poses greater human health risks associated with its impacts, bringing urban
and peri-urban populations into disarray. The study investigated (a) the relationship between
climate change impacts and human health risks, (b) gender aspects associated with human
health risks, and (c) the survival tactics and response mechanisms to human health risks
resulting from climate change impacts. It targeted a population of 1500 residents of Kawaala
and randomly selected 234 respondents. The findings show that there is a significant relation-
ship between climate change impacts, and human health risks, with [r (189) = 0.67], P< 0.05.
Erratic heavy rains posed more human health risks [Mean = 1.500, SD .50107] accompanied
by prolonged dry spells [Mean = 1.4316, SD = .49636] followed by floods [Mean = 1.1368,
SD = .34432] which had serious effects on children, women and the elderly. These result in
building wooden bridges and using flying toilets while respondents preferred to stay indoors
during flooding as opposed to moving to higher grounds immediately. Significant variations
existed between residents who preferred staying out of floodwaters, avoiding driving through
flooded areas, staying away from power lines and electrical wires and turning off electricity
and gas during flooding. Climate change impacts were viewed as significant predictors for
reduced availability of water for drinking, cooking and hygiene evidenced by the (R square
= .618, adjusted R, = .792, F= 62.386) while rising temperatures increased the spread of
malaria in some locations. A high regression value of 33.217 compared to the residual 19.700
was obtained, meaning that climate change impacts explain at least 79% of the variation of
the risk of water stress in the area.