Africa faces huge challenges with multiple issues that adversely affect public health. One major challenge is the ability of both rural and urban Africans to access a clean water supply. Water is the lifeblood of human beings and life on Earth. Aquatic ecosystems: wetlands, rivers, lakes, springs, and aquifers help to sustain the global hydro-logical, carbon, and nutrient cycles. People depend on freshwater for drinking, cooking, cleaning, sanitation, growing food, fishing, generating energy, navigation, recreation, and tourism. Safe, sufficient water and healthy aquatic ecosystems are essential for protecting health, achieving food security, and ending poverty. Many people, particularly indigenous peoples, consider water to be sacred.
Water insecurity refers to the converse, where the level of risk is not tolerable. Such risks include those associated with access to water, for example, for water supply and sanitation, irrigation, industry and ecosystem services, etc. (Grey & Sadoff, 2007), and those associated with water-related shocks, for example, from drought, flood, contamination and terrorism events, etc.
In addition, Norins defines water insecurity as the lack of sufficient water to meet all requisite water needs as well as the inability to adapt to major water disasters. Water scarcity affects all social and economic sectors and threatens the sustainability of the natural resources base. Addressing water scarcity requires an intersectoral and multidisciplinary approach to managing water resources in order to maximize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
The main drivers of increasing water scarcity during the coming decades.
Population growth and increased demand
In the last century, the world population has tripled. It is expected to rise from the present 6.5 billion to 8.9 billion by 2050, before leveling off. Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and, although there is no global water scarcity as such, an increasing number of regions are chronically short of water. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under conditions of water stress. The situation will be exacerbated as rapidly growing urban areas place heavy pressure on local water resources.
Conflict and migration
Water scarcity is one of the root causes of migration, and is estimated to remain a primary cause of displacement in the future. When water resources are scarce, competition can elevate tensions and lead to conflict and migration. Tensions can be further exacerbated as large influxes of displaced people move to host communities and create new demands on water supply.
When governments and water utilities are unable to provide an adequate supply of drinking water, it can erode public confidence in these institutions and create civil unrest. Water scarcity is compounded during periods of conflict when water and sanitation services are heavily interrupted. This often occurs when infrastructure is destroyed or damaged, when access to power or chemical supplies is interrupted, or even when the conflict prevents the operators from operating the systems.
Climate change
Rising temperatures and sea levels can lead to contamination of freshwater sources, compromising the water resources millions of people rely on. Changes in rainfall patterns and river flows, as well as increased demand, can contribute to the increased frequency and severity of droughts. Furthermore, when rain does occur in drought-stricken areas, the soil cannot absorb the much-needed water, leading to floods, reduced aquifer recharge, and contaminated water resources. Increased temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns can also lead to reduced rain-fed growing periods in agriculture, causing farmers to rely more heavily on groundwater for irrigation, which is often used inefficiently.
Agriculture
Crop production, the process of converting carbon and water into the biomass needed to sustain our daily energy requirements, is by far the largest water-consuming sector. As the world population continues to increase, more people will require more water for the cultivation of food, fiber, and industrial crops and for livestock and fish.
It is estimated that food and feed crop demand will nearly double in the coming 50 years. The two main factors driving how much more food we will need are population growth and dietary change. With rising incomes and continuing urbanization, food habits change towards richer and more varied diets – not only towards increasing consumption of staple cereals but also leading to a shift in consumption patterns among cereal crops and away from cereals towards livestock and fish products and high-value crops that consume more water. Agriculture accounts for more than 70 percent of the world’s total water use. Its share drops to about 40 percent in countries that import food and have a developed and diverse economy but rise to over 95 percent in many of the countries where agriculture is the primary economic activity.
Industrialization
Aside from agriculture, another factor that influences the state of water insecurity in a particular country is its degree of industrialization. Industry and manufacturing account for 10-20% of water resource use, though amounts vary by industry (Hunt, 2004; Postel, 1996). In developing countries, the percentage tends to hover around 10-30% (Postel, 1996).
The industrial activity requires massive amounts of freshwater for such activities as boiling, cleaning, air conditioning, cooling, processing, transportation, and energy production. As developing countries industrialize, they must use even-greater quantities of water. The positive side of this trend is that water used in industrial processes can be recycled since unlike in agriculture, very little of it is actually consumed. In developed industrial countries, the primary impetus for water recycling is compliance with pollution laws.
Since it is often more economical to comply with pollution laws by recycling water, less is wasted. Unfortunately, such trends are not as apparent in poorer developing countries where few governments provide the industry with incentives to adopt more efficient water-use practices. Consequently, although the amount of water being used for industrial purposes is decreasing in the developed world, it is actually increasing in poorer developing countries. This further strains freshwater resources in countries already facing rapid urbanization.
Addressing water scarcity requires actions at local, national, and river basin levels. It also calls for actions at global and international levels, leading to increased collaboration between nations on shared management of water resources (rivers, lakes, and aquifers) and of the benefits thereof. Being intersectoral in its nature, the response to water scarcity requires collaboration; the sharing of joint visions and policy principles; and joint action in addressing the issue. A major challenge in addressing water scarcity successfully in countries is the institutional fragmentation of responsibilities in the water development sector.