Economic Water Scarcity
I deem it necessary to deviate from my posts about the effects and and possible solutions of poor sanitation, and interject with a post about why this remains prevalent in our modern world. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding about the issue, the reasons behind it must also be foregrounded in my discussions. As I cannot explore all of the wide-ranging catalysts, I will focus on one in this blog - economic water scarcity. Not to be conflated with physical water scarcity, this type of scarcity is 'caused by a lack of investment in water or a lack of human capacity to satisfy the demand for water, even in places where water is abundant' according to the FAO. In short, it means that the water is there but cannot be accessed, used, or distributed. According to Seckler et al (1999, 37) several countries need to 'embark on massive water development programmes to actually utilise their resources'.
Below, figure 1 displays a map of this economic water scarcity, showing almost all countries in sub-Saharan Africa to be economically water scarce despite the water being present. The paradox of water in abundance (in the form of groundwater, rainfall and aquifers) but being almost unreachable is one that haunts millions in African countries. Put simply, poverty equates to economic water scarcity.
Figure 1 (WRI)
Naik(2016) unpacks the myths that surround the notion of Africa that paint it as a water scarce continent. Naik stresses the all important point that people seemingly forget, physical water scarcity is not the principal issue. Bad governance is the main driver of the lack of access to water municipally, whilst facilities can easily be installed they must also be run, maintained and given local ownership for it to be appropriate. Moreover, it is argued that the debates surrounding water management in Sub-Saharan Africa do not focus enough on the 'specific nature of this water scarcity' (Van Koppen, 2003: 1049 ). Van Koppen goes on to further highlight that 'the often-cited statement that "80% of diverted water is used for agriculture"' obscures that much more water could be tapped for any sector, if only the incentives and economic resources for infrastructure development were available.'
Well how does this relate to the sanitation crisis? Evidently, the issue lies in the mismanagement of these untapped water sources, a lack of available infrastructure, and inefficient water use which means that accessible water is likely to be polluted and unsanitary, or other things are prioritised before hygiene. If someone barely has enough water for consumption, what is the likelihood that they will practice hand-washing after defecation? As discussed in my previous blogs, the gendered dimension to the sanitation crisis as well as a multitude of other aspects means that this pressure on resources creates endless burdens, one of them being girls and women in remote rural areas having to constantly fetch water which is not often used for sanitary purposes. I hope that this post has been able to provide a grounded account behind arguably, the key reason to poor sanitation in many African countries.
Below, figure 1 displays a map of this economic water scarcity, showing almost all countries in sub-Saharan Africa to be economically water scarce despite the water being present. The paradox of water in abundance (in the form of groundwater, rainfall and aquifers) but being almost unreachable is one that haunts millions in African countries. Put simply, poverty equates to economic water scarcity.
Figure 1 (WRI)
Naik(2016) unpacks the myths that surround the notion of Africa that paint it as a water scarce continent. Naik stresses the all important point that people seemingly forget, physical water scarcity is not the principal issue. Bad governance is the main driver of the lack of access to water municipally, whilst facilities can easily be installed they must also be run, maintained and given local ownership for it to be appropriate. Moreover, it is argued that the debates surrounding water management in Sub-Saharan Africa do not focus enough on the 'specific nature of this water scarcity' (Van Koppen, 2003: 1049 ). Van Koppen goes on to further highlight that 'the often-cited statement that "80% of diverted water is used for agriculture"' obscures that much more water could be tapped for any sector, if only the incentives and economic resources for infrastructure development were available.'
Well how does this relate to the sanitation crisis? Evidently, the issue lies in the mismanagement of these untapped water sources, a lack of available infrastructure, and inefficient water use which means that accessible water is likely to be polluted and unsanitary, or other things are prioritised before hygiene. If someone barely has enough water for consumption, what is the likelihood that they will practice hand-washing after defecation? As discussed in my previous blogs, the gendered dimension to the sanitation crisis as well as a multitude of other aspects means that this pressure on resources creates endless burdens, one of them being girls and women in remote rural areas having to constantly fetch water which is not often used for sanitary purposes. I hope that this post has been able to provide a grounded account behind arguably, the key reason to poor sanitation in many African countries.
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