This study develops and applies a Climate–Water–Health (CWH) Nexus Index to compare multi-dimensional risk trajectories across six African Least Developed Countries, namely, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Niger, and Togo, each representing major climatic regions. Using decadal averages for 2000–2009 and 2010–2020, the study constructs three sub-indices—Climate Risk Index, Water Insecurity Index, and Health Burden Index—and then aggregates them into a composite CWH index. Indicators are harmonized via min–max normalization, and water and health measures are expressed per 100,000 population to ensure cross-country comparability under differing population sizes. The results of the study indicate substantial heterogeneity in both levels and drivers of nexus risk. The CWH risk decreased in most countries from the 2000s to the 2010s, while relative positions shifted as improvements occurred unevenly across dimensions. Sensitivity analysis with equal and dimension-focused weights confirms that core country groupings and extremes are robust to plausible weighting schemes. External consistency checks show a strong negative Pearson correlation between the standard CWH and the Human Development Index in both decades, indicating that higher human development is associated with lower Nexus risk. The proposed framework is transparent, scalable, and suitable for extension to broader African coverage and subnational mapping.
Zoltán Ködmön (Tue,) studied this question.