Securing and sustaining water

African leaders have identified water scarcity and related insecurity as one of the sources of the continent’s underdevelopment and increasing economic decline. Thus they have placed issues associated with the development, supply and management of water high on the agenda of the NEPAD. In the framework of NEPAD, the leaders have committed themselves to “ensure sustainable access to safe and adequate clean water supply and sanitation, especially for the poor” and “[to] plan and manage water resources to become a basis for national and regional cooperation and development.”

Achieving the goals on water will require investments in science and technology. Science and technology play important roles in water development, supply and management. They are crucial for assessing, monitoring and ensuring water quality. The WSSD Plan of Implementation recognizes the role of science and technology in meeting water goals. In paragraph 27 it commits governments to “[i]mprove water resource management and scientific understanding of the water cycle through cooperation in joint observation and research, and for this purpose encourage and promote knowledge-sharing and provide capacity- building and the transfer of technology, as mutually agreed, including remote-sensing and satellite technologies, particularly to developing countries and countries with economies in transition.” In addition, to ensure that adequate clean water is available to majority of Africans, affordable rural water technologies will be required.

The programme under water science and technologies will be designed to strengthen the continent’s capabilities to harness and apply science and technologies to address challenges of securing adequate clean water as well as managing the continent’s water resources.

Programme Objectives

This flagship programme focuses on water quality, sanitation and water resources management. Emphasis is on promoting increased use and production of scientific knowledge and technological innovations.

Its specific goals are to:

Improve the conservation and utiliza tion of the continent’s water resources;
Improve the quality and quantity of water available to rural and urban households;
Strengthen national and regional capacities for water resource management and reduce impacts of waterrelated disasters; and
Enlarge the range of technologies for water supply and improve access to affordable quality water.

Indicative Projects and Actions

The following project areas will constitute the core of this programme, at least in the short and medium-term.

Project 1: Scientific Assessment of Africa’s Water Resources and Systems

There is scanty and poor information on Africa’s water resources and related ecosystems. Building scientific information on the continent’s water resources is crucial for improving their development and sustainable management. Scientific research and assessment are also important to inform the formulation and implementation of policies and development of technologies for integrated water management.

This proposed project will focus on:

Developing common scientific methodologies and tools for conducting systematic assessment of the continent’s water resources and ecosystems. Emphasis will be river basins and underground water systems;
Training African scientists and technicians on the methodologies and tools to conduct water assessments
Launching and conducting water assessments at sub-regional and regional levels;
Developing a databank of Africa water resources and ecosystems; and
Disseminating scientific information on the nature of water resources and ecosystems.

Project 2: Research and Technologies to Assess and Monitor Water-related Disasters

Many African countries suffer from frequent floods along their rivers and other water bodies. The impacts of floods on the continent’s economies are considerable and increasing. Every year thousands of people die and infrastructure estimated at millions of US$ is destroyed as a result of floods. While in the short-term floods cannot be prevented, their impacts can be reduced if appropriate technologies are used to conduct forecasts. Forecasts that provide relatively long lead time can be used to evacuate people from high-risk areas or even to create retention basins to reduce flood peaks and volumes.

This project will explore the possibility of developing and applying a continent-wide flood forecast system. It will focus on:

Identifying and assessing existing technologies for flood control to determine their applicability in Africa. Emphasis will be on the kinds of resources required to acquire, modify and apply the technologies in Africa.
Developing a databank and disseminating information on the technologies.
Conducting research to modify, improve and develop flood control technologies.

Project 3: Knowledge and Technologies to Improve Water Quality and Quantity

A fundamental prerequisite to the development and application of technologies for improving water quality and sanitation in Africa is a systematic and extensive set of water quality data on both sources of impairments and existing technical responses. Data is required to assess the different sources of contamination and their impacts. Many African countries do not have scientifically strong systems for assessing water quality and quantity as well as the relative seriousness of the related environmental and human health problems.

In addition to the generation of data, deliberate efforts need to be made to develop technologies for improving quality as well as increase the supply of water to African households.

This project will focus on:

Reviewing existing international water quality assessment methodologies and techniques and promoting use of appropriate ones through training workshops and postgraduate studies on water quality;
Research on and development of desalination technologies, with emphasis on small modular units that use low and renewable energy;
Research on and related technology development for treating and supplying drinking water from aquifers. This is crucial to ensure that poor populations in peri-urban areas have access to clean water; and
Research and application of knowledge on eutrophication. A key aspect of improving and managing water in Africa is the prevention of eutrophication of dams, rivers and lakes, and biological control of weeds. It is recommended that research be conducted to develop new technologies to address eutrophication related problems.

Institutional Arrangements for Implementation

The above proposed projects will be further elaborated and implemented by a continental network of centres of excellence. The network will comprise of regional hubs and nodes. To identify and designate such hubs and nodes as well as create the network as a whole, the following actions will be undertaken:

A multi-disciplinary task team of experts and policy-makers has been established to prepare specific criteria and guidelines for identifying and designating centers or institutes. Such criteria and guidelines shall spell out mechanisms for promoting the sharing of centers’ facilities and expertise across the continent as well as means of ensuring the sustainability of the network.
An inter-ministerial committee of water and science and technology departments and ministries will be created to ensure proper governance of the proposed network
A water science and technology trust fund will be established to support the implementation of the programme.