ROLE OF WASH IN MEETING THE PAN AFRRICAN CHALLENGES

Noma Neseni

Executive Director IWSD

Take a moment to think• How many of us had a bath in the privacy

of our bathroom with hot water that you could mix to your desired temperature?

• How many used the toilet to do either a small or big job in private with safety and dignity?

• How many brushed their teeth with the tap running?

• How many of us know the hazards of poor hygiene and have public health information at the tip of our fingers

Take time to think• These are simple tasks that we take for

granted and …. Yet 1.1 billion people do not have the luxury of water of sufficient quality and quantity

• 2,6 billion people do not have a latrine and they have to do it in public with people watching and women use a predictable route to a defecation site facing sexual abuse, ridicule and fear

In Africa• We have great preachers who preach until

buildings shake, people talk in tongues and snakes come to confession.

• We have spiritualist who can make rain, send lighting, a curse for infertility or fertility.

• Witch doctors who can break your family, steal your money and yet we remain a the continent with the most poverty, most violence, poor governance and lagging in WASH issues

African talent• No 1 Golf player- of African decent

• President of the most powerful country an African

• No one women tennis player – of African decent

• Late king of Pope of African decent

• No of high profile actors

• Number of doctors and engineers looking working and developing the already developed world- Africans

Who am I?

• Water net member (active and one of the founder institutions)

• GWP-SA founder institution and hosting Zim country partnership

• Mum who faces WASH challenges daily• National coordinator for the Water Supply and

sanitation collaborative council advocating for WASH visit www.wsscc.org and register as a member

• Chair of the WREM Trust

• Commissioner for Human Rights in a GNU

• Social scientist

Purpose of the presentation• To highlight the key Pan African WASH related

Development challenges

• Highlight the Role of WASH in African Development Agenda, including the MDGS

• to create awareness about the interface between ground water and sanitation.

The Global Water Budget

Global Water

97% Seawater

3% Freshwater

Global Freshwater

87% Not Accessible

13% Accessible (0.4% of global)

Pan African challenges• Africa’s share of the global fresh water is only

about 9% 4050km3/yr• Currently only 3.8% of water resources is

developed for water supply, irrigation and hydro power

• Fresh water resources are unevenly distributed across Africa in space and time, western and central regions enjoy greater endowments compared to the rest of the continent

• Water is unevenly distributed by nature and its development and distribution also made uneven through by human beings.

WASH and the Pan Africa's burden

• Climate change – Africa will be hit hardest

• Countries like Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique will be hard hit

• Too much water or too little water all having implications on how we adapt and cope and this has implications on financial resources, costing and policy measures.

• Water management problems coupled with population growth

Climate Change---Africa heaviest hit

Kenyawinter flood 1997/1998

$2.39 Billion infrastructure

damage

Kenya

Drought 1998/2000

$2.4billion losses

Climate Variability (Change?)Index of Rainfall in Sahel 1941-1990

-1.50

-1.00

-0.50

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985

Source: Departure from standard deviation; Climate Prediction Center 1991, Presentation by South Africa at Camdessus Panel meetings

Climate Variability (Change?)Index of Rainfall in Sahel 1941-1990

-1.50

-1.00

-0.50

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985

Source: Departure from standard deviation; Climate Prediction Center 1991, Presentation by South Africa at Camdessus Panel meetings

Climate Change

• Global Warming

Increased drought episodes

Population growth

Pop growth in East, Central Africa

WASH and PAN AFRICAN BURDEN

challenges

• Water security challenges- agricultural production not keeping pace with population growth (delineation of sector into productive and non productive )

• Nutrition position now worse of than thirty years ago (dependence on rain fed agriculture

Domestic water sometimes used for

productive purpose

Implication • This therefore means

that a number of African countries rely on ground water for potable water irrigation and other development agenda.

• Need to manage the interface

Energy Challenges• Access to electricity in most African countries

is less than 200 KWh/person/year, and in some countries it is less than 30 KWh/person/year.

• In comparison, access to electricity in America is above 12,000 KWh/person/year.

• hydropower potential is estimated to be about 1.4 million GWh/year

• only about 3% has been developed.• There is a relationship between ernegy

availability and WASH services ( example of Zimbabwe)

2015 MDGs

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower

women

4. Reduce child mortality

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

By

the

year

201

5

MDGs, Africa off Track: UN 2006 Development Report

• Currently about 300 million people lack access to adequate water supply, and an estimated 313 million people lack access to adequate sanitation.

• Achievement of the MDGs poses the greatest challenges to political leaders and policy-makers on the continent

• To meet the water target in Africa, an estimated additional 300 million people must get access

MDG Challenge• To meet the water target in Africa, an estimated

additional 300 million people must get access to some form of improved water supply by 2015 with an average of over 30 million every year, 577,000 every week and 82,000 every weekday starting in January 2006

• To meet the sanitation target in Africa, an estimated additional 313 million people must get some form of improved sanitation by 2015 with an average of over 31 million every year, 600,000 every week and 86,000 every weekday starting in January 2006.

Fisheries

Environment

Tourism Industry

Finance

Agriculture

Energy

Water

Water at the centre

•IWRM has critical role to play in National Development Plans & economic growth

•Developments in other sectors have an impact on water

•IWRM necessary to forge collaboration, coordination and harmonization of water related development initiatives

•Water at the centre of development and need to be managed holistically

African Water Development Initiatives

• AMCOW launched in in April 2002• Has focused on promoting implementation

and partnerships on water and especially on how best to achieve the MDGs for safe water and sanitation by developing strategic approaches for achieving those targets by 2015.

• In December 2003 at the Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference on Water (PANAFCON), Africa focused particularly on the following four key issues: water and health; water and poverty reduction; water and economic development; and water and environmental sustainability

Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference on Water

(PANAFCON)• Based on the PANAFCON findings, eight key water

priority areas from the community level to continental level in Africa are identified.

1. Ensuring the knowledge base; 2. Meeting basic needs;3. Securing the food supply; 4. Protecting ecosystems;5. Managing risks;

6. Valuing and allocating water; 7. Governing water wisely; 8. Sharing water resources.

Conclusion• Water critical for Africa's

development and MDGs• Sanitation is important

for health, dignity and safety

• Need to manage the interface between the two.

• There is a strong link between ground water and sanitation

end

• I thank you and invite

contributions suggestions, additions and constructive

criticism