March 22, 2007, marked the 15th celebration of ‘World Water Day,” an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNICED). This annual event is used to take stock of current global water situations, including assessing threatened waterways and potential sources of conflict. Dam building, over-extraction for drinking, industry and agriculture, invasive species, climate change, pollution and shipping all impact water sources worldwide. It is anticipated that in the coming years water will be a major point of conflict between nations as control of limited sources is secured. According to Jeffrey Sachs, director of the United Nation’s Millennium Project, the world is running out of water and needs a radical plan to tackle shortages. In fact, Africans have dealt with drought conditions for thousands of years, but with varying degrees of success. The problems resulting from the ineffectiveness with which many of these African countries have met their crises serve as warning of future difficulties.
Nile River Basin Development Issues
The Nile River Basin is home to an estimated 160 million people, while almost 300 million live in the ten countries that share the Nile’s waters. According to the World Bank, population within the Basin is expected to double within 25 years, adding to the increased demand for water generated by growth in industry and agriculture.
The use of the Nile’s waters for development has become a source of conflict at times among the countries that share its basin – Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt. The disputes are partly due to agreements signed during the colonial era – the 1929 Nile Water Agreement and the 1959 Agreement for the Full Utilization of the Nile – that gave Egypt and Sudan extensive rights over the river’s use.
Currently the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), which is comprised of all ten Nile River sharing countries, oversees development matters related to future use of the river. The ten countries, which share the Nile and its sources, regularly meet to find a way of cooperating on using the Nile. The fear is that some countries will work unilaterally and cause damage or contamination of the water supplies, which would impact the entire region. Future development and use of the Nile, if done incorrectly, would be devastating; however, expansion and use of the water is critical to future population growth and economic sustainability. Philip Kassaija, a lecturer at the Makerere University in Kampala, is optimistic about the NBI and its ability to deter conflict in projected control of the Nile. He states, “At least there is a framework now for negotiations. This is a positive case in which conflict is being arrested before it flares up. The NBI is reducing the potential for conflict.” Critics disagree however, and are concerned about the large role Egypt and Sudan continue to play in ultimate control of the waterway.
Growing Water Scarcity Concerns
Unlike the Nile River Basin, many other parts of Africa have not initiated any types of cooperative agreements to address ongoing water concerns. For example, in Nigeria scientific experts are warning that Lake Chad could decrease to a mere pond in two decades. Lake Chad, which was once known as Africa’s third largest body of inland water, is now on the verge of extinction. Forty years ago the lake was 25,000 square kilometers in size and now it is only 500 square kilometers. A recent study by NASA and the German Aerospace Center indicates global warming and human activity are the main reasons for the lake’s decrease in size. As recently as 1966, Lake Chad, which is located between Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, was often referred to as an “ocean” because of its size and support to the fishing industry. The Central African Republic’s Logone and Chari rivers empty into the lake; however, reduced rainfall and damming of the rivers has decreased the water flow in half. The Komadougou-Yobe River in far North-eastern Nigeria, which also feeds the lake, now flows only during the rainy season. Without a multi-faceted approach by all affected countries, the conditions regarding Lake Chad will not be improved.
In Mali, finding good sources of water is an increasingly difficult task. In many parts of the country women spend more than five hours each day obtaining water for daily use. Poor water quality is also a cause for concern as it affects the health of the local population. According to a demographic and health survey commissioned by the government in 2005, at least half of all deaths in Mali are caused by diarrhea and malnutrition-related disease. These water problems – scarcity and poor quality – are repeated across West Africa, especially in the arid countries of the Sahel region, including Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. Although some water well drilling is being conducted, the needs currently outweigh the projected demand and a crisis point is a not too distant reality.
Outlook is Cause for Concern
If better sources of water are not developed or managed properly in the next decade, the water issue will be a source of increased disease and violent confrontations. A strong link between droughts and violent civil conflicts in the developing world is a concern for all of Africa. Scientists are warning that drought-related conflicts are expected to multiply with advancing climate changes. “Severe prolonged droughts are the strongest indicator of high-intensity conflicts,” said Marc Levy of the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York. If African countries hope to reduce the anticipated increase of such conflict, now is the time to address the water development and scarcity concerns. It is anticipated that the current growing water scarcity will likely continue without significant resource allocation and commitment by all affected African countries.
