Although Africa possesses water resources of
over five trillion cubic metres a year, only 3.8% of this figure has
been developed. Some 300m people in Africa do not have access to safe
drinking water. Clearly, the reliable supply of clean water is Africa’s
number one priority project, but is enough being done? Neil Ford
discusses.
The latest UNDP
report warns that climate change could have a devastating impact on
water supplies in Africa. Population growth and increasing water
scarcity are a dangerous combination, particularly in a region that is
already failing to provide adequate water supplies. However,
technological advances could help many countries to make the most of
the resources that they do possess and indeed mitigate some of the
worst effects of global warming.
According to the report from
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 1.8bn more people,
mainly in Africa and other developing regions, will be faced with water
scarcity by 2080, while increasingly irregular rainfall patterns will
make planning in the sector more difficult. The report was produced for
the ongoing rounds of international climate change talks and is based
upon the best scientific information currently available. The report’s
lead author, Kevin Watkins, said: “Nobody wants to understate the very
real long term ecological challenges that climate change will bring to
rich countries. But the near term vulnerabilities are not concentrated
in lower Manhattan and London, but in flood prone areas of Bangladesh
and drought prone parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Allowing the window of
opportunity to close would represent a moral and political failure
without precedent in human history.”
