Water Scarcity in Africa
| Water Scarcity in Africa | ESE1001 Term Paper | | Soh Jing Yi [A0101356U] | 10/25/2012 |
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Problem Statement
Widespread poverty, is one of the most pressing problems that our world today faces, especially in the African region, where majority of the poorest live and the scarcity crisis is the most severe. The main reason why Africa is unable to escape from the vicious poverty cycle is due to its water issues (The Water Project, n.d.). Water is essential for human’s very survival and development, where it is required for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses. Its importance is reflected in the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as target 7C, which is to halve the proportion of world population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 (United Nations, 2012). The first step to achieving this would be the provision of water before there can be access to safe drinking water.
However, in the situation that we are in today, the issue of water scarcity is worsening, not only in Africa, but also in developing and developed countries. Some of the main reasons for the failure of current efforts to alleviate water scarcity are political tensions with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), widening income gaps, lack of road network development as well as lack of concrete plans to tackle water scarcity. In light of these, future efforts should seek to overcome the problems mentioned above such that the African community can benefit enormously from the availability of water and achieve UN MDGs target 7C before 2015.
Introduction / Background
Water scarcity is defined as the situation whereby the aggregate impact of all users impinges on the supply or quality of water under prevailing institutional arrangements to the extent that the demand from all sectors, including the environment, cannot be satisfied fully (Water Scarcity, n.d.). In general, there are two forms of water scarcity:
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Problem Statement
Widespread poverty, is one of the most pressing problems that our world today faces, especially in the African region, where majority of the poorest live and the scarcity crisis is the most severe. The main reason why Africa is unable to escape from the vicious poverty cycle is due to its water issues (The Water Project, n.d.). Water is essential for human’s very survival and development, where it is required for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses. Its importance is reflected in the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as target 7C, which is to halve the proportion of world population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 (United Nations, 2012). The first step to achieving this would be the provision of water before there can be access to safe drinking water.
However, in the situation that we are in today, the issue of water scarcity is worsening, not only in Africa, but also in developing and developed countries. Some of the main reasons for the failure of current efforts to alleviate water scarcity are political tensions with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), widening income gaps, lack of road network development as well as lack of concrete plans to tackle water scarcity. In light of these, future efforts should seek to overcome the problems mentioned above such that the African community can benefit enormously from the availability of water and achieve UN MDGs target 7C before 2015.
Introduction / Background
Water scarcity is defined as the situation whereby the aggregate impact of all users impinges on the supply or quality of water under prevailing institutional arrangements to the extent that the demand from all sectors, including the environment, cannot be satisfied fully (Water Scarcity, n.d.). In general, there are two forms of water scarcity:
Bibliography: AlertNet. (2012). Africa 's groundwater must be harnessed for communities. Retrieved from SciDev.Net: http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/water/opinions/africa-s-groundwater-must-be-harnessed-for-communities.html Aqua Sun International Mike Muller, B. S. (2009). Water Security in South Africa. Development Bank Of Southern Africa. UNICEF. (2004, August 27). Child Survival Fact Sheet: Water and Sanitation. Retrieved from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_21423.html United Nations UN-Thematic Initiatives. (2006). Coping with Water Scarcity. UN-Water.