Unlocking Africa's Water Wealth: Groundwater, Precipitation and Virtual water

Natural Reserves: Lack Of Water?

Africa is often stereotyped as a water-scarce continent: When we talk about the Sahara, we subconsciously associate it with a desert. However, reality challenges this perception. Despite covering 18% of the global land area, sub-Saharan and North Africa together possess around 9% of the world's water resources(FAO, 2003). Sub-Saharan Africa has an annual renewable groundwater supply of approximately 1,500 square kilometers, surpassing even water-intensive agricultural giants like China and India(Gleick, 2000).

figure1.Annual renewable groundwater supplies in sub-Saharan Africa and other countries,1,000 m3 per person.(FAO,2023)

 Despite the overall abundance of groundwater, its utility is hindered by geological constraints and distribution disparities. The majority of groundwater resources are in hard rock areas, which will lead to high extraction costs(Giordano,2006). Africa's abundant land and sparse populations also result in smaller farm sizes, favoring rainfed agriculture. 


When it comes to Africa's total precipitation, the continent is actually not lacking as well.   The real challenge with African precipitation lies in its extreme seasonal variations and the means of local rainwater collection. Evaporation rate of Groundwater and surface water concentration in regions with ample rainfall makes irrigation development impractical in some areas like sub-Saharan Africa(figure 2), and unnecessary in others(Rockström and Falkenmark,2015).


high evaporation rate of rainfall cause drylands impractical for irrigation(Rockström and Falkenmark,2015)



Comparing concentrated rainfall months in various African regions reveals that precipitation is mostly concentrated within specific periods. The Nile region experiences concentration during the summer, while the Juba-Shabelle and Northeast coast regions see concentrated rainfall from March to June and September to November(Palmer, et al.,2023). Rainfall significantly impacts crop growth, and how rainwater is collected during the wet season profoundly affects its utilization in dry months.


                     Area-averaged mean seasonal rainfall in the Nile basin,Juba–Shabelle         basin and northeast coast basinfrom 1983 to 2019. Source:(Paul,2023)


During the dry season, sanitation purposes sharply decline, especially in impoverished households, as collection time increases, demanding high labor(Giordano, 2006). Providing ample water for livestock becomes a daunting task for impoverished farmers and herders. Economic factors significantly influence the utilization of rainfall resources, as evident in the wide disparity in water utilization rates across various African regions.



Beyond Natural Reserves:Artificial Water Resources


A well-known fact is that agriculture is a major consumer of water. Could importing food internationally reduce reliance on local water resources? The concept of virtual water, defined as the water used in the production process of agricultural or industrial products, plays a role here(Allen, 2003). Africa heavily relies on international trade, with most countries being net food importers. However, over-reliance on and unreliability of overseas supplies are critiques of global trade, mainly due to political and economic factors. In the upcoming blog, we will further explore the critiques. 


Comments

  1. Tianle Ji7 January 2024 at 12:34

    Hi! It's great to see that you contribute to breaking the stereotype of African water scarcity! How do you think Africans can overcome the underutilization of groundwater due to socio-economic constraints?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stevenwu7 January 2024 at 22:15

    I think it requires a multifaceted approach. First of all, I think they can attract more engineers to improve the local infrastructure for collecting groundwater. Secondly, I think Invest in research to better understand groundwater distribution is also necessary so that the infrastructure can be used in a more effective way. What's more, considering of capital factor, government should further implement policies that encourage sustainable water use and provide incentives for businesses and farmers to adopt water-efficient practices. This may include subsidies for water-saving technologies or regulations on water extraction... I think there should also have lots of other possible actions that can contribute to this issue!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Significance of Accessible Water for NGOs, Communities, and the Private Sector and international aid

Image
We've mentioned why water security matters for society. This blog will further discuss on who cares about the water security issues and international aid from those sectors which aims to improve water and food securities.  NGOs & Policy Makers Recalling the SGD goals mentioned in our introduction , many NGOs have been committed to helping government in Africa achieve the SGD goals, so that Africa can have a sustainable environment and community. Here is water for people, an NGO talking about their goals for water access. They primary goal is to create a world where every person has access to reliable and safe water and sanitation services. ( WFP, 2023 ) Video 1:Reaching Everyone Forever (WFP) Community Groups For community groups, water is more likely a political issue. In Kumbo, People  campaigned to remove the government water managers and replace them with a community managed system because access to safe water supply through government is never free( Page,2003 ). ...
Read more

Conclusion: The Significance of Accessible Water and Food and out looks for future

In the first blog when reconsidering Africa's water abundance, we dispel the stereotype of a water-scarce continent. Despite covering 18% of the global land area, sub-Saharan and North Africa possess about 9% of the world's water resources, challenging perceptions. Groundwater, though abundant, faces underutilization due to geological constraints and human factors. The challenge lies not in scarcity but effective management and utilization. The intricate indigenous knowledge embedded in African agricultural practices, especially floodplain utilization, exemplifies resilient adaptive strategies. However, human interventions such as large-scale irrigation which aims for improving the productivity and food security cause  irreversible damage to local environment. W hile productivity was enhanced, indigenous knowledge in small-scale practices remains valuable for sustainable solutions in African agriculture. Achieving a balance between food security and environmental sus...
Read more