Dr. Joshua Ntajal is a Research Fellow and member of the Ecohydrology and Water Resources Management research group (AG-EVERS) at the Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Germany. Dr. Ntajal holds a Doctorate in Geography from the University of Bonn, Germany, where he explored the interactions among land use dynamics, surface water systems, and human health risk pathways. His research focus and teaching expertise covers a wide range of interdisciplinary domains, including climate change modeling, climate change and human security, land use, hydrological modeling, geospatial data analysis, water quality, integrated water resources management, complex system dynamics, health Geography, one-health, planetary health, and integrated flood risk management in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. He also served as a cherished reviewer for many renowned scientific journals. Before joining MIASA as a research fellow and co- convenor of the Interdisciplinary Fellow Group (IFG 10), he worked extensively on hydrological modeling under climate change and land use scenarios in large transboundary river basins in West Africa, as part of building human and institutional capacities towards collaborative and sustainable flood risk management.

Title for the Interdisciplinary Fellow Group (IFG 10): Urban transformation pathways, sustainable governance, and urban resilience building.

Urban Water Governance: influences of urban transformation pathways on water management and urban agriculture resilience The transformation of urban environments can have significant impacts on water systems as well as urban agricultural resilience and health outcomes, particularly in Sub-Saharan countries such as Ghana, where urbanization processes are unregulated. As part of the IFG10 topic, this sub-topic investigates the dynamics of urban transformation pathways that pose significant challenges to urban water governance, including water systems and urban agricultural resilience in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. The exploration adopted a mixed-method approach, including a systematic literature review, expert consultation, structured interviews, and surveys for relevant institutions, organizations, and communities. A qualitative system dynamics approach was adopted to map the variables/indicators and the interlinkages/interactions among urban transformation pathways and identify entry points for building and strengthening water governance and urban agricultural resilience.

Important Publications
Nana, A. S., Falkenberg, T., Rechenburg, A., Ntajal, J., Kamau, J. W., Ayo, A., & Borgemeister, C.
(2023). Seasonal variation and risks of potentially toxic elements in agricultural lowlands of central
Cameroon. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 45(6), 4007–4023.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-022-01473-9

Sandul, Y., Arredondo, A.M.P., Felappi, J.F., Ntajal, J., Paris, J.M.P., Patel, K., Savi, M.K., Schmiege, D.,
Falkenberg, F., (2023). One health as an integrated approach: perspectives from public services for
mitigation of future epidemics. In: Rezaei, N. (eds) Integrated science of global epidemics. Integrated
Science, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17778-1_3

Ntajal, J. (2022). Linking land use dynamics, surface water systems, and human health risks in Ghana
(Doctoral dissertation, Universitätsund Landesbibliothek Bonn). https://nbn-
resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-67343

Nkiaka, E., Bryant, R. G., Ntajal, J., & Biao, E. I. (2022). Evaluating the accuracy of gridded water
resources reanalysis and evapotranspiration products for assessing water security in poorly gauged
basins. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 26(22), 5899–5916. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-
26-5899-2022

Ntajal, J., Höllermann, B., Falkenberg, T., Kistemann, T., & Evers, M. (2022). Water and Health
Nexus—Land Use Dynamics, Flooding, and Water-Borne Diseases in the Odaw River Basin, Ghana.
Water, 14(3), 461. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030461

Ntajal, J., Evers, M., Kistemann, T., & Falkenberg, T. (2021). Influence of human–surface water
interactions on the transmission of urinary schistosomiasis in the Lower Densu River basin, Ghana.
Social Science & Medicine, 288(October 2020), 113546.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113546

Ntajal, J., (2020). Human-surface water interactions and the transmission of water-related infectious
diseases – schistosomiasis in Ghana. In: Exner, M., Kistemann, T., Rechenburg, A., Grossi, V., 2020.
WHOCC Water & Risk 30. 2191-9674.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343905687_WHOCC_Newsletter_Wate...
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Ntajal, J., Falkenberg, T., Kistemann, T., & Evers, M. (2020). Influences of Land-Use Dynamics and
Surface Water Systems Interactions on Water-Related Infectious Diseases—A Systematic Review.
Water, 12(3), 631. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12030631

Schmiege, D., Perez Arredondo, A. M., Ntajal, J., Minetto Gellert Paris, J., Savi, M. K., Patel, K.,
Yasobant, S., & Falkenberg, T. (2020). One Health in the context of coronavirus outbreaks: A
systematic literature review. One Health, 10 (September), 100170.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2020.100170

Ntajal, J. (2022). Linking land use dynamics, surface water systems, and human health risks
in Ghana. 1–138. https://nbnresolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-67343

Gomez, M. L. A., Adelegan, O. J., Ntajal, J., & Trawally, D. (2020). Vulnerability to coastal erosion in
The Gambia: Empirical experience from Gunjur. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction,
45(December), 101439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101439

Yao, K. M. A., Obeng, F., Ntajal, J., Tounou, A. K., & Kone, B. (2018). Vulnerability of farming
communities to malaria in the Bole district, Ghana. Parasite Epidemiology and Control, 3(4),
e00073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2018.e00073

Ntajal, J., Lamptey, B. L., Mahamadou, I. B., & Nyarko, B. K. (2017). Flood disaster risk mapping in
the Lower Mono River Basin in Togo, West Africa. International Journal of Disaster Risk
Reduction, 23, 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.03.015

Ntajal, J., Lamptey, B. L., & Sogbedji, J. M. (2016). Flood Vulnerability Mapping in the Lower Mono
River Basin in Togo, West Africa.
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 7(10), 1553–1562.
https://www.ijser.org/research-paper-publishingoctober-2016_page6.aspx