African Water
• Former UN Sec. Gen. Kofi Annan addressed water issue by
making his famous statement on world water day in 2001:
“access to safe water is a fundamental human need, and
therefore a basic human right”.
Current situation with Water
• In a few years from now, almost all sub-Saharan countries will be below the level at which water
supply is enough for all. Even worse, most of them will be in a state of water-stress or scarcity.
• http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/
Access to water
• The UN tells us that everyday; million of adults (largely
women) spend several hours gathering and transporting water
for cooking and drinking.
Water and disease
• Water-related diseases are a growing human tragedy, killing more than 5 million
people each year
• Water-borne diseases include cholera, typhoid, bacillary dysentery, polio, meningitis,
hepatitis A and E and diarrhea, among others. These are diseases caused by dirty
water, and most can be prevented by treating water before use.
Water Wars
• The main conflicts in Africa during the next 25 years could be over that most precious of
commodities - water, as countries fight for access to scarce resources.
• The combined population of the three countries the Nile runs through - Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt
- rises as predicted from 150 million today to 340 million in 2050 then there could be intense
competition for increasingly limited water resources.
• http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/watch/player.html?pkg=africa705&seg=3&mod=0
Water and Agriculture
• In Africa precisely where 25% of the population faces chronic
water stress, yet over half of the water used for agriculture
never reaches the crops. It’s lost to leakage and evaporation,
severely crippling crop yields if not shared with animals.
• Most developing countries in the world are not waterdeficient; they are rather infrastructure and or management
deficient.
Water and Urbanization
• Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from chronically overburdened
water systems under increasing stress from fast-growing
urban areas.
Additional obstacles
• Weak governments, corruption, mismanagement of resources,
poor long-term investment, and a lack of environmental
research and urban infrastructure only exacerbate the
problem.
Need for Infrastructure
• Insufficient infrastructure is a major reason
• A significant regional disparity in sanitation infrastructure
between sub-Saharan Africa and other regions is apparent.
Building dams
• There are 1270 large dams in sub-Saharan Africa. These new
dams will hopefully bring power and irrigation to many
communities in need. Many of these dams are being built by
the Chinese.
Water pollution
• The first contributor to water pollution in Africa is the mining organizations and
farmers. Many of the mines are polluting the water with their waste.
• Poor sewage systems also contribute to the water pollution in Africa. Much of the
human waste in Africa is spilling into the water ways.
• http://ewn.co.za/2014/01/27/Water-crisis-a-mammoth-problem
Water pollution cycle
• Polluted water is used to take care of small children and
infants. They are going to become ill if they are continually
drinking contaminated water. This water is also used to water
the crops that are being grown in Africa. That water is
polluting the food that is then being consumed by animals and
humans living in Africa. Finally, cattle and other livestock are
also drinking the water. They are becoming contaminated as
well. When they produce milk or they are butchered for
meat, they are producing contaminated food that Africans are
consuming.
Fixing the problem
• Rules need to be created and followed by all farmers and mining
operations.
• Proper sewage disposal needs to be invested in and carried out.
• Water filtration needs to be a top priority
• Because sub-Saharan Africa is subject to more extreme climate variability
than other regions, it needs improved water storage capacity. Some experts
say that large dam projects would create a more sustainable reserve of
water resources to combat the burden of climate fluctuations.
• Better donor emphasis on water development is needed.
• Small-scale agricultural improvements also offer a solution to water stress,
including the harvest of water in shallow wells, drip irrigation for crops, the
use of pumps, and other technological innovations
Water in the ground?
• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/opinion/where-wateris-gold.html?ref=water
VIDEO
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http://www.irinnews.org/film/?id=4125
http://www.irinnews.org/film/?id=4124
http://www.irinnews.org/film/?id=4103
http://www.irinnews.org/film/?id=4104
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/when_the_water_ends_africas_
climate_conflicts/2331/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-fOi0iBUL8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRTk7aSbyd0
News
• http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/opinion/africas-hiddenwater-wealth.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/world/africa/nigerchildren-miss-school-to-search-forwater.html?pagewanted=all
• http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/27/world/africa/droughtdeepens-south-africas-malaise.html