Water Scarcity In Sub-Saharan Africa

Nearly 70 percent of the world is covered by water. Fresh water in this regard accounts very small fraction- about 2.5 percent. Of this only 1 percent is accessible, with rest being trapped in glaciers and snowfields. Essentially, only 0.007 percent is readily available to fuel and feed the world population (Hoy & Taylor, 2007). Water forms the basic foundation of life, yet all around the world, most people spend an entire day in search of clean water. Clean and safe water is hard to locate as evidenced by 1 billion people in the developing countries without access to clean water. The time lost in search for water as well as water-borne diseases in places like Sub-Saharan Africa, restricts people from achieving their potential. This is particularly

Statistics have shown that there are over 200 rivers as well as lake basins bordered by two or more neighboring countries (Gleick, 2004). This portends widespread capacity for raised regional conflicts over common resources, especially in arid and semi-arid territories. The rapidly growing human populations, in combination with changing hydrological circumstances in many parts of the planet, are likely to exacerbate existing tensions over water security and create new sources of potential conflict in regions that are relatively stable today (Kundzewicz & Kaczmarek, 2000).

Secondly, water scarcity leads to economic slowdown. Without water, crops cannot grow, and without crops there is no food. A country that cannot feed its citizens is not economically viable a significant part of the population is underpinned by scarcity. Yemen, and for example, a few years ago the Haraz Mountains in Yemen received nearly 150 tourists a day, but this is no longer tenable at present due to water scarcity. The entire region used to be green and lush but now, it is just a dry and barren landscape as a result of droughts and the decline in water (Glass,

Developing new sources could involve but is not restricted to constructing wells, reservoirs, dams, canals and pumps to accumulate and manage excess flows and distribute them to satisfy demand during different periods (Buras, 2008). Further, recycling wastewater by treating it to the required levels of re-use can address the problem adequately. This approach aids in addressing the problem of freshwater pollution through the elimination of contaminants in existing freshwater sources. Recycled wastewater can then be put to work to recharge aquifers of groundwater and irrigate certain crops (Kundzewicz & Kaczmarek,