As countries mark the 2022 World Water Day (WWD), WaterAid and the British Geological Survey (BGS) say there is enough groundwater under Africa for most countries to survive at least five years of drought.
They also noted that groundwater – which exists almost everywhere underground, in gaps within soil, sand and rock – has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives and be the world’s insurance policy against climate change.
However, groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa is largely underused, leaving millions of people at zero access to safe and clean drinking water to meet their daily needs, the organisations said in a recent study.
‘Our findings debunk the myth that Africa is running out of water. But the tragedy is that millions of people on the continent still do not have enough clean water to drink’, Chief Executive of WaterAid in the UK, Tim Wainwright, said.
‘There are vast reserves of water right under people’s feet, many of which are replenished every year by rainfall and other surface water, but they [cannot] access it because services are chronically underfunded.
‘Tapping into groundwater would ensure millions have access to safe, clean water no matter what the climate crisis throws at them’.
The organisations called for increased water and sanitation financing for marginalised communities in Africa.
They also called for investment in better mapping and monitoring of the earth’s subsurface to determine where good-quality groundwater is not only available but also extractable in a sustainable and economical way, to unlock its full potential.
Reacting to the report, the Executive Director of HipCity Innovation Centre, Bassey Bassey, said the technology and investment needed for water projects is lacking in many parts of Nigeria, for instance.
‘It is one thing to have a resource, it is another thing to have the technology and political will to commit funds through adequate budgeting to exploit’, he told Development Diaries.
‘As government it is now a matter of political will – how much do we want to invest in water infrastructure? If there is a strong political will to commit the needed financial investment then we can drill and expand our water infrastructures to serve more Nigerians’.
Bassey also noted that his organisation has collaborated with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) to address challenges tied to accessing clean water.
‘We believe there should be water management committees at community level where women who bear the burden of water collection are integral members of such committees to decide how water infrastructures in communities are managed and used’, he added.
FCT RUWASSA recently introduced a model called the ‘Village Level Operational Maintenance (VLOM)’ to train youth and women in basic plumbing skills.
Photo source: Nigeria National Urban Water Sector Reform Programme
