Africa’s Emerging Urban Water Challenges 25
to industrialization; rising incomes that increase expectations of water quantity and quality; and a growing middle class leading to improved governance and more market-oriented policies, which can result in demand for better services (World Bank, 2012). Increased pressures come with opportunities for improved water management policies and implementation.
Water Supply Depends on the Quantity and Quality of Water in the Catchment While water demand grows, water resources are becoming scarcer (see Figure 1.8). More than 40 percent of Africans live in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas. The amount of water available per person in Africa is far below the global average and is declining—with annual per capita availability of 4,000 cubic meters compared to a global average of 6,500 cubic meters (UNEP, 2010). Drought is endemic to many regions and repeated drought cycles kill thousands of people each year. In addition, the groundwater table is being lowered and rainfall is declining in many regions (UNEP, 2010). Africa has a large number of shared watersheds, which increases competition between states for limited resources. The increase in solid waste and wastewater generated by urban areas will place further pressure on water quality and on urban drainage, which will
Figure 1.8 Disappearing Lake Chad: A High-Profile Case of Diminishing Surface Water Sources, 1972 (Left) and 2007 (Right)
Source: UNEP, 2008.