Today, more than one out of nine people in the world lack
access to safe drinking water, namely 783 million people, and more than two out
of five, lack adequate sanitation (2.5 billion people). Every 20 seconds, a child
dies as a result of poor sanitation that is 1.5 million preventable deaths each
year. Seen over a day, more than 4,500 children die from waterborne diseases
despite the continent boasting of having numerous natural water sources such as
lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, springs, rainwater, aquifers, and ocean water.
The most hit
hard is Africa, roughly 40 percent of Africans, mostly the rural poor,
will not get access to clean water any time soon, a fact that exacerbates
poverty, hunger, and disease. And while rich countries worry about obesity,
recent droughts in the Sahel and Horn of Africa have forced millions of
Africans to flee their ancestral lands in search of food.
Meanwhile, a
doubling of the continent’s population in the first quarter of this century is
set to significantly increase demand for Africa’s water too, risking
groundwater depletion and a gradual destruction of precious ecosystems.
This state of affairs is further compounded as the world
gets warmer, the rains pour heavier and oceans rise, making rural inhabitants
migrate to cities in their millions. African cities are under dual pressure
from uncontrolled urbanization and flooding, worsened by climate-induced water
stress. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects climate change to
hit Africa harder than anywhere else.
Improvements in both of these areas have been made in the past decade,
but huge numbers of Africans still live without these basic necessities. Lack of access to water and sanitation is a
matter of life and death. Contaminated water and inadequate sanitation help
transmit diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and typhoid.
The impact of inadequate water
access stretches across all sectors of development: health, education,
gender equality, economic development, food security, and even national
security. Safe, accessible water is essential to the health of people and
communities, critical to ecosystems, and indispensable for economic prosperity.
Sustainable
safe water access is the foundation for a sustainable community. It is also
important to hygiene, hydration, sanitation, safety, and opportunity. Those
with it in the developed world often take it for granted, but if you live in an
area without access to clean water, it drastically affects your sanitation and
your health—and for women, in particular—it can be devastating, because the
women are often the people in the community who are spending their days and
risking their safety to find and carry home the water.
Solutions to the crisis
·
My first take is that we need to get serious
about water, which is central to several critical challenges from health and
hunger to energy and security. Water is more than a commodity – it’s a source
of life and livelihoods. Every culture in the world recognizes water as the
source of all life, and yet the international community has held back from
giving access to water the prominence and backing it deserves.
·
Because sub-Saharan Africa is subject to more
extreme climate variability than other regions, it needs improved water storage
capacity. Large dam projects would create a more sustainable reserve of water
resources to combat the burden of climate fluctuations, but other disagree,
stating the harmful environmental impact of large dams.
·
More
water treaties are needed; transboundary water agreements have cultivated
international cooperation and reduced the "probability of conflict and its
intensity."
·
Better donor emphasis on water development is
needed. I am concerned that global environmental issues are upstaging
Africa-specific issues of water development.
·
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. The key thing is the concept of green water as opposed to blue
water. Blue water is the water we see in streams. Green water is the water we
don’t see in the soil, and green water accounts for two-thirds of the water
supply." Farmers can access green water through drip irrigation
(systems that slowly and consistantly deliver water to plant’s toot system),
supplemental irrigation (supplementary to natural rainfall rather than the
primary source of moisture during periods of drought) and rainwater harvesting (the
collection of rainwater for crops, which reduces reliance on irrigation). Crops
can grow poorly even during periods of rainfall, and most farms in Africa
suffer from nitrogen and phosphorus depletion in soil. One way to assuage water
stress in terms of food scarcity is to increase water-holding capacity with
organic fertilizers that would increase availability and efficacy of green
water.
·
The hydrological, engineering and social
sciences have great roles to play to enable African economies overcome the acute
and often devastating water problems confronting them now and in future
decades. This can be done through a framework that promotes efficiency, equity
and sustainability.
·
A more comprehensive approach to water resources
management that enables sound policy development and strong institutional
set-up, private sector initiatives and effective river basin management is
needed and would constitute the pillars of sustainable water use for human
consumption and development.
·
The expansion of supplies may be achieved
through scientifically designed water harvesting technologies and water
transfers from areas of water surplus to those of water deficit. Science could
also promote resource intensification to achieve a higher output per unit of
water, particu- larly in agriculture, which accounts for some 88% of the
continent's water allocation.
·
Agrohydrological studies should continue to
provide increasing guidance for economic diversification in favour of
activities, or crops and species, which consume less water. The social sciences
should provide appropriate economic and regulatory instruments for combination
with technological ones for water demand management. Science offers many
possibilities for helping to resolve the problems plaguing Africa's water
sector. This can be achieved by bringing about a balance between demands for
and supply of water for the competing needs of the different sectors of the
national economies. Science also offers the opportunity for a better
understanding of the interrelationships between the hydrological and
biogeochemical cycles on the one hand, and food production on the other, and
provides the framework and tools for linking water resources planning with
landscape/ecological planning.
·
Development partners will have to support Africa’s
quest to develop its capacities for the implementation of SDG6, especially in
the development of bankable water and sanitation projects. Closing inequality
gaps in the accessibility, quality and availability of water, sanitation and
hygiene should be at the heart of government funding and planning strategies.
·
Governments must, however, lead the efforts
while external agencies work in a way that supports and builds government
capacity to lead and to succeed. All stakeholders must therefore commit to work
collectively and adhere to key behaviours that strengthen countries’
capabilities to deliver permanent and accountable access to water and
sanitation services.
Furthermore, lack of
access to clean and safe water has frustrated poverty reduction efforts and
hindered economic prosperity. For instance, Sub-Saharan Africa loses 5% of its
GDP per year as a result of water-related challenges. In addition, 40 billion
hours per year, which could have otherwise been used on productive activities,
are spent searching for water.
Improved access to quality water is a long-term goal that
requires more than humanitarian funds. Failure to deal decisively with water
and water-related issues at the country level, as well as in the context of
large drainage basins involving several countries, could further result to more
serious Water problems in Africa.
Finally, we cannot enter the 21st century with the
usual commercial approach we are used to having concerning water management. We
need a political determination; we must make a realistic assessment of our
water management capabilities in specific circumstances. We must dare. We must
show unfailing commitment to equity.
Sustainable
water management represents long term security for all of us therefore urgent
action is needed if we are to avoid a global water crisis. Together, we must all aim to ensure
sustainable access to safe water and sanitation for the most vulnerable
communities through innovative partnerships and creativity #WaterAccess
#Sustainability #SDG6 #SDGS #HumanityandInclusivity #AfricaWaterSolutions
#SustainableCommunities
No comments:
Post a Comment