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Join on Telegram Rabat – Roughly 1.8 billion people do not have access to clean water worldwide. Half of them are Africans and only 24% of sub-Saharan Africans had access to safe drinking water in 2019, according to the United Nations.
African countries have been facing water scarcity and climate change for decades, endangering people’s livelihoods and ecosystems.
But faced with these challenges Africa is home to numerous creative and ambitious projects addressing water scarcity.
“The third world war is at our gate, and it will be about water if we don’t do something about this crisis,” Rajendra Singh, Indian water conservationist, told the intellectual body Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in 2016.
The environmentalist’s warning is already becoming reality in parts of Africa that are marred by geopolitical conflicts over water resources. The most notable is the conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, but concerns over water are also closer to home in Morocco.
Morocco in face of drought and climate change
In February 2022, Morocco recorded the worst drought in 30 years and forced the country to introduce rations on water use, such as the ban on watering gardens and parks.
In the first few months of the year, average rainfall was 69% lower than normal in the same period, the agriculture ministry reported in late February.
“Morocco is expected to face a major water shortfall and reduction in rainfed crop yields prompted by climate change,” the World Bank said in a report in 2020. The country’s economy relies heavily on agriculture with 40% of Morocco’s workforce employed in the sector. which makes up 15% of GDP.
In the report, the World Bank recommended importing water-intensive crops, instead of producing them locally which is more costly.
Read Also: Rainfall Helps Fill Morocco’s Dams in March
But increased rainfall and snow in March could help the agriculture sector recover.
Water scarcity, reality threatening Africans’ livelihoods and ecosystems
African governments in 2000 agreed to a plan to help preserve water resources in a bid to tackle water scarcity and preserve livelihoods.
The UN and African Union-backed plan – Africa Water Vision for 2025: Equitable and Sustainable Use of Water for Socioeconomic Development – aims to establish “an Africa where there is an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, regional cooperation, and the environment.”
Through regional management of water basins and the efficient use of water resources, African governments seek to secure food and energy production and alleviate the devastating impact of climate change on people and ecosystems.
Creativity amid the water crisis
“Deep within every crisis is an opportunity for something beautiful,” said author Kate McGahan
As water scarcity and climate change threaten the livelihood of African populations and the continent’s biodiversity and ecosystems, there is hope for water efficiency shaped by innovative and accessible water solutions.
In past decades Africa has become home to water-related projects aiming to alleviate the impact of drought, famine, and poverty on local communities.
Tanzanian nano-technology water filter
Tanzanian chemical engineer Askwar Hilonga invented a sand-based water filter that absorbs copper, fluoride, bacteria, pesticides, and viruses and can “help up to 70% of Tanzanian households who do not have clean drinking water,” he told BBC News, in a previous interview.
“His innovation could change the lives of many Africans, and people all over the world,” said Malcolm Brinded, Head Judge of African innovation prize.
Picture from Askwar Hilonga’s twitter
Organized by the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering, the academy rewarded Hilonga with MAD 320,786 ($32,956), which will allow him to invest in materials to reduce the cost of the filter to MAD 1265 ($130) and make the product affordable.
Kenyan Majik Water
As drought hit Kenya in 2016, Beth Koigi started thinking about water scarcity and climate change as her government introduced restrictions to limit water use
“Having no water at all is worse than just having unpurified water,” she said in an interview with the Guardian in 2019.
To find a solution she partnered with American environmental scientist Anastasia Kaschenko and British economist Clare Sewell to set up Majik Water. Maji means water in Swahili, and K, or kuna means harvest.
The three women designed a device that extracts water from the air and transforms it into drinking water using solar technology.
With rising temperatures, water evaporates leading to an increase in water in the atmosphere, “and that’s water that’s not being tapped.”
“There’s six times more water in the air than in all the rivers in the world,” she explained.
Today, Majik Water system provides 50 liters of drinking water per day to the Arch Children’s Gome in Thika, Kenya.
SafeWaterAfrica
Funded by the European Union, the SafeWaterAfrica project operates in Ressano Garcia in Mozambique and Waterval in South Africa.
“Our key aim was to produce drinking water that doesn’t cause health issues when l,” said Lothar Schaefer, project coordinator of SafeWaterAfrica.
The project has daily produced around 10,000 liters of clean water in South Africa.
“This ‘Made in Africa’ system … will help improve the health and social well-being of people in Africa,” added Schaefer.
LifeStraws for Africa
Created by Vestergaard Frandsen, the life straws devices contain water filters that prevent malaria. The portal device does not require electricity and protects 99.99% of waterborne bacteria. The device can be used to allow people to directly drink from a polluted water source.
Based in the Horn of Africa, NGO Water for Africa distributes personal and community life straws to ensure people’s access to clean water. The individual units can be used daily by a single person for up to a year while the community units can be used by 100 people for up to three years.
Through a special arrangement with Vestergaard Frandsen, Water for Africa bought the straws for MAD 97 ($10) instead of the original price of MAD 243 ($25).
Glimpse of hope
The four initiatives contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goal on clean water and sanitation. Faced with climate change and water scarcity, Africa has to further commit to sustainable development and prioritize water-related issues.
But the presence of multiple water initiatives in the region is helping to alleviate severe consequences of drought, water pollution, and climate change in Africa.
