WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN AFRICA

1. WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN AFRICA D. Bashir National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, Nigeria Presentation at the 3rd Annual International Conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI III) on “Water and Health” at Hotels Ngor Diarama, Dakar, Senegal on November 12 - 14, 2007

2. Outline of Presentation The African Continent Characteristics of Water Resources in Africa Water Resources Utilization Water Resources Management Issues Conclusions Recommendations

3. The African Continent Sahara Desert Area = 30,065,000 km2 Population = 877,500,000 (2006 est.) Fastest growing region on earth - population is forecast to reach 2 billion by 2050 Faces severe water and food shortages Serious health problems (HIV/AIDS pandemic) Indebted countries with trade imbalances: Average economic growth of 3% More than 3000 unique ethnic groups – Many Conflicts Low life expectancy < 50 yrs Namibia Desert Kalahari Desert

4. The African Continent Mean Annual Rainfall Water shortages may not be due to lack or inadequacy of water resources but lack of capacity and capability to exploit and manage the resources Regions of Africa

5. Characteristics of Water Resources in Africa 5,570.2 km3) (Total Africa = • Mean annual rainfall = 670mm • Wide temporal and spatial variability • Highest rainfall in island countries (1,700 mm) • Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea (1,400 mm) • Lowest in North Africa (70 mm) Internal Renewable Water Resources (km3) Distribution of IRWR (km3) Source: WRI, 2007 • 17 big rivers (catchment area > 105 km2) • 160 large lakes (> 27 km2) • Most of them in Central Africa and East Africa • (within the Rift Valley) • Appreciable groundwater – important source • of drinking water (for 75% of population) Source: WRI, 2007

6. Characteristics of Water Resources in Africa Shared Watersheds • Multitude of shared water courses • Most countries share at least one water course with neighbors • up to 14 shared watercourses in Guinea alone • About 80 watershed basins in Africa • 20 major river/lake basins • Covering 60% (18,000,000 km2) • of land mass) • About 395 m people (45 % of • population) live within the • catchments of the basins Major Basins

7. Water Resources Utilization • Very low exploitation of available • water resources • Only 3.84% of available water • withdrawn % Water Withdrawals % Regional Water Withdrawals • Physical resource base inadequate to • meet demand (North & Southern Africa) • Abundant water but inadequate capacity • to withdraw (Central and parts of East & • West Africa) • Both resource & capacity inadequate • (Sahelian countries) % Regional Utilization of Water Resources

8. Water Resources Utilization Agriculture • 67% of water withdrawn is used • for agriculture – 143.15 km3/yr • Quantity very small for a large • continent with high ET • May account for very small land • under irrigation (≈ 13.4 million ha); • just 6.2% of agric. Land and 0.44% • of land mass Land under irrigated agriculture (103ha) % of total agricultural land under irrigation • North African countries have largest • agricultural land under irrigation • Egypt has 99.9% with Mauritius a • distant 2nd with about 20% • Countries with insignificant (0%) land • under irrigation include Botswana, CAR, • Congo, Congo D.R., Mauritania & Namibia

9. Water Resources Utilization Community Water Supply Ave. national access = 71% Ave. access in urban areas = 86% Ave. access in rural areas = 60% Countries with highest access: Mauritius (100%, 100%, 100%) Egypt (98%, 99%, 97%) Botswana (95%, 100%, 90%) Regional Access to Potable Water Supply (%) Countries with lowest access: Ethiopia (22%, 81%, 11%) Somalia (29%, 32%, 27%) Cote d’Ivoire (42%, 41%, 43%) Access to Potable Water Supply (%)

10. Water Resources Utilization Hydropower Electricity Generation from various sources (%) • Enormous potential • Total tech. potential = 1,750 TWh • 90% in 10 countries • Congo D.R. accounts for about 50% African hydropower potential in top 10 countries (TWh) Source: http://www.dams.org/kbase/thematic/tr31.htm • Currently developed = 5% • Tech. & econ. feasible now = 58% • Eco. Viable in future = 37% • Current installed cap. = 21 GW • >50% in 5 countries (Congo D.R., • Egypt, Mozambique, Nigeria and • Zambia Source: Africa-EU Energy Cooperation of the German EU Presidency (2007)

11. Water Resources Management Issues • Water is scarce in Africa for socio-economic activities and environmental sustainability • Can be attributed to low technical and economic capabilities, ineffective institutions and unstable socio-political systems prevalent in the continent • Water resources management issues would include: • Growing water scarcity; • Multiplicity of transboundary water basins; • Inadequate institutional and financing arrangements; • Inadequate data and human capacity; • Insufficient access to water for human health, food and energy security; and • Threats to environmental stability.

12. Water Resources Management Issues Growing Water Scarcity Scarcity is meant lack of or difficulty to access water Economic scarcity – water scarcity caused by lack of investment in water and/or of human capacity to access (Sub-Saharan countries) Physical scarcity – water scarcity when there is not enough water to meet all demands (Countries in arid regions)

13. Water Resources Management Issues Growing Water Scarcity • Water stressed countries (below 1,700 m3/per capita/year) include: • Zimbabwe, South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt, and Algeria. International Standard for Water Scarcity (1,700 m3/per capita/yr) • Other water stressed countries include: • Burundi, Rwanda, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Libya, Tunisia, Lesotho, Malawi, Burkina Faso, and Cape Verde.

14. Water Resources Management Issues Multiplicity of Transboundary Water Basins • Many countries have dependency on external contributions to their renewable water resources • Highly dependant countries include: • Egypt (97%), Mauritania (97%), Niger (90%), Botswana (80%), Sudan (77%) and Congo (73%) • Majority of the water basins are not jointly managed • Major RBOs established include: Nile, Zambezi, Congo, Niger, Senegal, Lake Victoria and Lake Chad • Some bi-lateral agreements • These organizations face multiple problems • No country is yet a party to the 1997 UN Convention on Non-navigational Uses of International Water courses

15. Water Resources Management Issues Inadequate Institutional and Financing Arrangements • Most African countries unable to set up functional institutional arrangements as well as provide adequate investment for the water sector • Increasing awareness of, and political commitment to, IWRM • Continental and regional organizations coming up with and/or supporting a number of water related initiatives, programs and projects • On-going water policy reforms in most countries with emphasis on decentralization, stakeholder participation and (PPP) • Increasing support and investment from Donors, multi-lateral organizations and international development banks • Need to emphasize on streamlining and development of synergies between national, regional and continental initiatives and programs, including donor coordination

16. Water Resources Management Issues Inadequate Data and Human Capacity • Paucity of accurate and reliable data • Need for strong, effective and sustained advocacy for proper investment in data collection and management • Limited skills for IWRM in Africa • Efforts of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) on sensitization and awareness of IWRM principles • Developing IWRM skills through the activities of its regional and national partnerships as well as the regional capacity building networks • Organizations and initiatives at national, regional and continental levels should join and support these partnerships and networks

17. Water Resources Management Issues Insufficient Access to Water for Various Purposes • increasing investment in water supply and sanitation is imperative to break the vicious circle between poverty and inadequate access to water supply and sanitation (a necessity for attaining most of the MDGs) • Most African countries have less than 5% of their cultivated lands under irrigation • In Sub-Saharan Africa , number of food-insecure people rose from 125m in 1980 to 200m in 2000 with average daily per capita food supply at just 2,200 kcal (< world average of 2,800 kcal) • To achieve the MDGs target on food security, it is necessary to increase irrigated areas more than 5 folds • > 90% of the people of Africa are without access to electricity. Botswana has the highest per capita consumption with 950 kWh per capita . This is far below the global weighted average of 2750 kWh per capita

18. Water Resources Management Issues Threats to Environmental Stability • Negative consequences of improperly developed and managed water resources infrastructures include: • loss of unique habitats and their biodiversity, • reduced flood retention capacity, • pollution of water sources, and • changes in microclimate regulation • Groundwater levels are declining rapidly in a number of places • Large scale irrigation schemes are causing salinization of the soil and creating water logged conditions, thereby reducing the productive potentials of the soils • capacities of the water management institutions have not been sufficiently developed • Application of IWRM principles will address and minimize the problems

19. Conclusions • Major challenges of water resources development and management in Africa arise from inadequate catchment management resulting in: • Inadequate access, • devastating erosion, • perennial flooding, • recurring drought, and • increasing desertification; • The challenges are caused mostly by: • competing water uses, • low capacity and inadequate investment, • degrading watersheds and water courses, • fragmented and uncoordinated water resources development, • poor data, and • lack of cooperation on co-riparian use of international waters.

20. Conclusions • Sustainable water resources management demands: • a well coordinated and decentralized management structure, • Involvement of all relevant stakeholders, • institutional arrangement set up with the objective of achieving efficiency and effectiveness through decentralization of management functions and provision of mechanisms for enhancing coordination, partnerships and accountability

21. Recommendations • To develop the framework for streamlining and development of synergies between national, regional and continental initiatives towards effective and sustainable exploitation of the available water resources in Africa, the following are recommended: • Slow down population growth, increase investment in the water resources sector and reduce inefficiency and wastage in water use through effective O&M and improved technologies; • Earmark at least 25% of all donor support to capacity building and data collection and management from now to 2015 and advocate for counterpart contribution of at least 10% of water resources sector budgets; • Promote partnerships and cooperation among and between countries sharing water basins and strongly advocate for ratification of the 1997 UN Convention on Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses by all countries in Africa;

22. Recommendations All countries should finalize their IWRM plans and Water Safety Plans by the end of 2008; Develop synergies between national, regional and continental initiatives, programs and projects; Develop and implement appropriate framework for donor coordination in all countries; Promote public-private partnerships in the development and management of water resources including the local manufacture and distribution of water resources equipment and materials; Support and involve NGOs in all aspects of water resources development and management including advocacy, awareness creation, capacity building and mobilization; Develop rational and implementable energy strategies that integrate various options with emphasis on hydropower and energy efficiency

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