Trouble Waters

Senegal

starts, today Monday, the 9th World Water Forum.

An event that places Dakar, from March 21 to 26, as the world capital of water, for a meeting whose theme, 'Water security for peace and development', will address global issues for man and nature, today and tomorrow.

troubled waters 

Enquête

the abundance of the precious liquid contrasts with the lack of availability of quality water

 the level of current withdrawals should increase by 30 to 60% by 2035

Enquête, reinforcing water stress and testing the capacity to meet the demand of a rapidly urbanizing population.

Extreme water-related events and pollution already cost Senegal more than 10% of its GDP each year.

Water is also vital for agriculture,

Enquête, which represents 23% of gross domestic product.

And then it is also in Africa that poor water quality is the cause of 70 to 80% of diseases.

Africa should invest up to 20 billion dollars each year in this water sector, and the countries of the continent allocate today only 0.5% of their GDP to it.

stronger citizen participation is also needed at all levels.

The goal ?

Transform the way we use water, to share it, to save it, to avoid wasting it and to value it. 

Africa, if it wants to exploit its enormous potential for economic development and live in peace, must create the conditions for better access to water for all (populations and countries bordering large rivers and large lakes).

However, the continent remains under the threat of global warming and the advance of deserts in the Sahel zone and its southern part.

The necessary infrastructure should be built and, in the short term, the existing networks and storage solutions should be improved.

Access to water is therefore a permanent challenge, with climate change only aggravating the various water crises: water stress, scarcity, water wars.

Africa is thirsty 

In Algeria, the authorities hope to avoid reliving the terrible summer of 2021, marked by forest fires.

In Morocco, where the cumulative rainfall over the past five months is 64% below the usual average, the government has announced a series of emergency measures to try to limit the consequences of this drop for farmers.

Southern Madagascar has experienced its worst drought in four decades.

In the Horn of Africa, some countries have not experienced a meaningful rainy season for three years.

In Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, humanitarian organizations and United Nations agencies estimate that 13 million people could find themselves in a situation of serious food insecurity.

Paradoxically, in this same area,

(Re)sources

in Dakar, donors, public and institutional decision-makers, but also private actors and civil society will be faced with a major challenge: moving from rhetoric to action, financed, organized and measurable.

They will have to demonstrate their common will to massively build the necessary infrastructure, a sine qua non for the fight against water stress and the effects of climate change.

Without finances, there is no way out, but without governance, one more summit for disappointed hopes.

Let's bet,

that everyone is aware of what is at stake, with their eyes wide open.