Africa Water Crisis

It is predicted that the Africa water crisis will become a catastrophe in just a few years.[1] In Africa, more than 25% of the population spends more than 30 minutes (sometimes up to six hours) walking miles to get enough water for the day.[2] Africa is called the “dry continent” because of the difficulty of accessing water. When studying the global water crisis, facts indicate Africa’s difficult situation.

“… it is predicted that by 2025, close to 230 million Africans will be facing water scarcity, and up to 460 million will be living in water-stressed areas,” reports Global Citizen.[3]

The world water crisis can be characterized by two basic types of water scarcity: physical and economic.

• Physical scarcity is often tied to an area’s natural climate or environmental factors. For instance, the desert areas of Africa are naturally more water scarce than the areas with a humid climate. Rising populations can also change the amount of natural water that is available, which is why this is an increasing problem.[4]
• Economic scarcity is tied to human behavior. For example, a lack of investment in infrastructure or technology causes economic scarcity. This type of scarcity is most linked to a person’s socioeconomic status or the relative wealth of their area and can often correlate to high levels of poverty. Much of sub-Saharan Africa experiences economic water scarcity.[5]

In this water crisis, Africa is dealing with both forms of water scarcity. The population is increasing rapidly, and many local municipalities lack the resources needed to provide the water infrastructure, meaning lack of water will continue to be a problem. Africa is also dealing with very hot and dry weather. Rivers and lakes are running dry.