Quenching the thirst of rapidly growing and water-insecure cities in sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT

It is in the water sector that Africa faces some of its more pressing challenges, which are exacerbated with the sprawl of megacities. The gap between water requirements and available water resources is widening. While the urbanization process is still accelerating, acute seasonal and chronic water shortages are already encountered in almost all major cities. Unless the direction is radically changed, sub-Saharan Africa is headed towards an urban water crisis of alarming proportions. Based on city experiences in Africa and comparison to those in India, we draw lessons and suggest response options for tackling urban water crisis risks in Africa.

KEYWORDS:

• Africa
• urban water
• India
• development
• slums
• megacities
• water scarcity

Acknowledgments

The authors are deeply indebted to Professor Asit K. Biswas for pertinent, long-term inspiration on working with the toughest water issues of the planet. He has shown unique wisdom and courage in seeking solutions, often going beyond disciplinary ways and boldly challenging conventional approaches to create real impact and change problematic development paths in a meaningful way. The invaluable comments and stimulus to this article by Dr Cecilia Tortajada are highly appreciated, as always.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.