Day: March 21, 2022

There is enough groundwater on the African continent to provide everyone with enough drinking water to face at least five years of drought, and in some cases up to 50 years. This is according to a new analysis done by the British Geological Survey and WaterAid, presented at the World Water Forum in Dakar.

The British Geological Survey and WaterAid after a ten-year survey found that throughout Africa there are enough subsurface water reserves to serve the entire population. Even in parched locations, according to BGS chief researcher Alan MacDonald, there can be adequate groundwater, he explains through Zoom.

“When you realize the groundwater resources are maybe 20 times the amount of water we have in the rivers and lakes of Africa,” said MacDonald. “Then it’s a really amazing fact but because it’s hidden it’s so often out of sight and out of mind.”

This applies to Turkana, Kenya, one of Africa’s driest regions, where camel caravans trek between the scarce water sources. It is one of the worst affected places on the continent, according to the Famine Early Warning System. Turkana’s water minister, Vincent Palor, confirms the situation is dire.

“The water sources are drying up because the water table has gone down. The body condition of the livestock is poor,” said Palor. “When we also look at the vegetation cover, the vegetation cover is not pleasant because it’s drying up.”

But even in Turkana, there appears to be water just beneath the feet of the camel herders. According to a 2013 report Turkana has enough groundwater to service Kenya for 70 years. However, a government survey has shown the water is too salty.

Virginia Newton-Lewis, a senior policy analyst at WaterAid, explained that investments are needed to get usable water.

“We need mapping, we need monitoring,” said Newton-Lewis. “This takes investments, this takes investments in also equipment. It takes investments in human resources to do that. And then we need investments in the way we get the water that we find to the people that need it the most.”

BGS researcher Alan MacDonald added that the report is timely since groundwater is crucial amid droughts caused by climate change.

“As droughts are becoming more common, then people are looking for a much more reliable source of water, which is why I think there is an increased interest in groundwater resources because they are much more reliable than rainwater or river water or even reservoirs,” said MacDonald.

Turkana’s Minister Vincent Palor is pleased with the renewed focus on groundwater exploration, as he is concerned that continuing water shortages may exacerbate the situation.

“If the water stress continues this means there will be a scramble for water, and this may force these pastoralists to move to neighboring countries, and then at times contributing to conflict,” said Palor.

There is however respite for Turkana and Africa since another recent survey by BGS suggests that 80% of the subterranean water is likely to be acceptable for drinking.

Source: Voice of America

On the commemoration of World Water Day, UNICEF is raising concerns about Nigeria, where an estimated 70% of water at the point of consumption is contaminated.

The U.N. agency said the contamination is why Nigeria has the world’s highest number of deaths from waterborne disease among children under five years old.

Closely built temporary shelters are the norm at sites for internally displaced people, such as the Kuchigoro camp of Abuja.

Camp officials say up to 3,000 IDPs live in Kuchigoro after fleeing Boko Haram attacks in their homes. But access to water is a daily struggle, says Bitrus Yusuf, an official at the camp.

“Our women usually go to nearby estates looking for water, begging for water,” Yusuf said. “We are highly in need of water for our daily use. As you can see the camp is compacted.”

Yusuf says the congested tents and the lack of access to water and proper hygiene make the camp prone to diseases.

He says cholera outbreaks have been recurring, and other diseases like dysentery or diarrhea are also common.

Last August, about 40 cases of cholera were reported, and camp officials said at least 10 people died, including Istifanus Bitrus’ four-year-old son.

“It affected two of my children, but one eventually died on our way to the hospital,” Bitrus said. “The other one was treated at the hospital, people helped me with money, and he got better.”

Camp officials said the cholera outbreak was later found to be caused by sewage leaking into the camp’s only water source.

UNICEF said 70% of water at the point of consumption is contaminated and that children are the most affected.

As a result, UNICEF says 117,000 children die in Nigeria each year due to water-related illnesses – the highest number of any nation.

Jane Bevan is UNICEF’s chief of water, sanitation and hygiene program, or WASH.

“If there’s no constraint on open defecation, for example people are defecating in water courses and on the surface, this contamination will percolate into the ground water inevitably,” Bevan said. “So, the only answer is really to treat water safely before it’s consumed and ideally to reduce open defecation as much as possible.”

Nigerian authorities have been trying to improve access to water but experts said authorities must also make improvements in water hygiene.

The U.N.’s first-ever assessment of water security in Africa, released Monday, shows up to half a billion people are living in areas designated as water insecure, including Nigeria.

Source: Voice of America

While much of the world is focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, analysts warn that nations should not ignore Islamist militants, who are increasing attacks in Africa’s Sahel region and spreading to West Africa’s coastal states.

Since 2020, terror groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida have carried out attacks against Ivorian forces. In response to the threat, French security forces are training the region’s militaries.

One Ivorian commando, who declined to give his surname, said the threat is real and they are preparing to face it in every way possible.

“In Ivory Coast, we are really, really focused on terrorism, because in the north part of our country, we are facing terrorism, so we’re talking about sea, air and land. That’s why we are here,” William said.

Security analysts say terrorism is spreading to the north of coastal states like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin and Togo — the next phase in the western Sahel’s decade-long conflict.

Large parts of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are experiencing daily attacks targeting military and civilians alike.

Since 2020 began, there have been 17 incidents — including gun battles and roadside bombs — in the north of Ivory Coast linked to al-Qaida-affiliated groups, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

Ivory Coast has sent large numbers of troops to the north in response to these attacks.

The commander of French forces in the country, Colonel Arnaud Mettley, expressed doubt regarding fears that terror groups had co-opted local populations in Ivory Coast.

“For the moment, we think that the local population does not cooperate with the jihadist groups, because there is a strong answer from the Ivorian armed forces … but it’s really, it’s a real concern for us,” he said.

He added that limiting the spread of the terrorist threat from Burkina Faso is possible, saying, “We cannot prevent the threat going to the south, but we can succeed in fighting this threat.”

The United States last month carried out Operation Flintlock, an exercise to promote cooperation among regional, NATO and U.S. forces, in Ivory Coast for the first time. Richard K. Bell, the U.S. ambassador to Ivory Coast, said a sustained effort will be needed against terror groups spreading in the north.

“I think the nature of this threat makes it very difficult to eliminate it entirely,” Bell said. “I think it can be contained at a really low level. And I believe that the key to success is the support of the population.”

Analysts say a military response by itself will not be enough.

Geoffroy-Julien Kouao, an associate researcher at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, a research organization in Germany, said the areas in question are poorly developed, with glaring social problems. He said there are not enough schools, not enough water supply, not enough electricity, not enough jobs for the youth, and terror groups will exploit these social deficiencies to recruit young people.

Asked if he had a message for terror groups operating in Ivory Coast, William, the Ivorian commando, said, “I don’t have any particular message for them, but I’m just ready for them.”

Efforts to boost that readiness are continuing.

Source: Voice of America