Mr. Bai-Mass Taal
Africa presently reels under serious water challenges. Water-based challenges such as widespread shortage, pollution, degradation, flooding and poor water management in cities and rural centres are problems which dot the African landscape today. This state of affairs is further compounded as the world gets warmer, the rains pour heavier and oceans rise, making rural inhabitants migrate to cities in their millions. African cities are under dual pressure from uncontrolled urbanisation and flooding, worsened by climate-induced water stress.
From Lagos in the west to Dar es Salaam in the east, from Cairo in the north to Cape Town in the south, slum dwellers, the middle class and the elite alike are engaged in the water race. More than half of global population growth between now and 2050 is expected to occur in Africa. Of the additional 2.4 billion people projected to be added to the global population between 2015 and 2050, 1.3 billion will be added in Africa and the difficulties African cities currently face in providing sustainable water services will be further exacerbated.It is also estimated that Africa loses 5% of its annual GDP due to poor access to clean drinking water and sanitation; 5% to 25% to droughts and floods in affected countries; and 2% to regular power outages. In addition to the cost of insufficient water security, the cost of climate change in Africa is estimated to be 1.5% to 3% of GDP by 2030, and is expected to reach 10% by 2100 under a business-as-usual scenario.