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dam-l Water and Namibia (fwd)

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From owner-irn-safrica@igc.org  Tue Nov 25 20:32:30 1997
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Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 16:56:43 -0800 (PST)
From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger)
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Subject: Water and Namibia
To: irn-safrica@igc.apc.org
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>COUNTRY: NAMIBIA
>SUBJ:    INSTITUTE WARNS WATER SHORTAGES TO AFFECT FOOD SUPPLY
>
>SOURCE:  WINDHOEK THE NAMIBIAN (INTERNET VERSION) IN ENGLISH 13 NOV
>         97
>TEXT:
>
>   [REPORT BY TABBY MOYO]
>
>   [FBIS TRANSCRIBED TEXT] SEVERE WATER SHORTAGES IN YEARS TO COME
>COULD RENDER FUTILE THE EFFORTS OF NAMIBIA AND OTHER SOUTHERN
>AFRICAN COUNTRIES TO FEED THEMSELVES, THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY
>RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IFPRI) HAS WARNED.
>   THE IFPRI SAYS WATER SHORTAGES DURING THE COMING DECADES COULD
>PUSH THE SUB-REGION "TO THE BRINK OF HUMAN DISASTER" UNLESS "STEPS
>                       UNCLASSIFIED
>
>                       UNCLASSIFIED
>
>PAGE 03        171335Z
>ARE TAKEN NOW TO REGULATE WATER SUPPLY".
>   THE PREDICTION IS MADE IN A RECENT IFPRI PUBLICATION, ACHIEVING
>FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA:  NEW CHALLENGES, NEW
>OPPORTUNITIES.
>   IF NAMIBIA UNDERGOES ANOTHER DROUGHT - WHICH IS WIDELY PREDICTED
>BECAUSE OF THE EL NINO PHENOMENON - NAMIBIA WILL RUN OUT OF FRESH
>WATER BY THE YEAR 2000.
>   IFPRI SAID SOUTHERN AFRICA WAS HISTORICALLY PRONE TO DROUGHT AND
>COULD BE STANDING AT THE THRESHOLD OF ANOTHER DRY SPELL.
>   "ALL COUNTRIES OF THE REGION ARE PROJECTED TO EXPERIENCE SERIOUS
>DECLINES IN THE AVAILABILITY OF FRESH WATER BETWEEN NOW AND THE YEAR
>2050," THE IFPRI STUDY INDICATED.
>   NAMIBIA'S FRESH WATER RESOURCES ARE PREDICTED TO DROP BY AROUND
>30 PER CENT  DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE COMING CENTURY.  IN 1990,
>RESEARCH BY THE FOOD POLICY RESEARCH UNIT SHOWED THAT 6 672 CUBIC
>METERS OF FRESH WATER WAS AVAILABLE TO EVERY NAMIBIAN.  HOWEVER THIS
>FIGURE IS SET TO DECREASE TO 2,162 CUBIC METERS A PERSON PER YEAR BY
>2050.
>   SUCH A DROP IN WATER RESOURCES COULD HAVE SERIOUS EFFECTS ON FOOD
>PRODUCTION IN NAMIBIA AND THE REGION AS A WHOLE, SAID THE IFPRI.
>   "AGRICULTURE IS BY FAR THE BIGGEST CONSUMER OF WATER RESOURCES
>AND THE MOST INEFFICIENT USER.  PROJECTIONS SHOW THAT AFRICA WILL
>NEED TO TRIPLE ITS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN THE PERIOD 1990 TO
>2025 TO ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY FOR ITS GROWING POPULATION," IFPRI'S
>STUDY HAS INDICATED.
>   THIS NEED FOR A RADICAL INCREASE IN FOOD PRODUCTION THEREFORE
>COMES AT A TIME WHEN THE AVAILABILITY OF WATER NEEDED TO PRODUCE
>THIS FOOD IS RAPIDLY DECREASING.
>   THE IFPRI FURTHER NOTED THAT MUCH OF THE FOOD PRODUCTION IN
>SOUTHERN AFRICA WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY SMALL HOLDER FARMERS WHO NEEDED
>GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN SUCH AREAS AS AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND
>                       UNCLASSIFIED
>
>                       UNCLASSIFIED
>
>PAGE 04        171335Z
>RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THEIR PRODUCTIVITY.
>   CURRENTLY, THE IFPRI ESTIMATES THAT ONE IN TWO PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN
>AFRICA DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD, AND THAT ONE IN FOUR PRE-SCHOOL
>CHILDREN IS MALNOURISHED.
>   GIVEN THAT COUNTRIES IN THE REGION HAVE WIDELY VARYING RESOURCES
>AND LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT THE EXISTING DATA WAS LIMITED IN
>SCOPE, THE IFPRI SAID THEIR FIGURES COULD BE AN UNDERESTIMATION OF
>THE EXTENT OF THE FOOD PROBLEM.
>   IT ADDS THAT IF CURRENT FOOD PRODUCTION TRENDS CONTINUE, THE GAP
>BETWEEN FOOD PRODUCTION AND FOOD REQUIREMENTS WOULD GROW RAPIDLY.
>   THE IFPRI SUGGESTS THAT, IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE LOOMING
>DISASTER, COUNTRIES IN THE REGION SHOULD INTRODUCE TRADE AND
>ECONOMIC POLICIES WHICH DID NOT TAX AGRICULTURE OR OTHER LABOUR
>INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES.
>   IT ALSO ADVISED THAT LAND AND AGRICULTURAL POLICIES WERE NEEDED
>WHICH WOULD HELP SMALL FARMERS BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE, AS WELL AS
>WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES WHICH WOULD ENSURE APPROPRIATE
>WATER ALLOCATION.
>   THIS REPORT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL.  COPYING AND
>DISSEMINATION IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT
>OWNERS.
>(ENDALL) 13 NOV B.VASCONCELOS BV071711.008 TMF11711.866  17/1311Z
>NOV       527 WC
>
>
>                       UNCLASSIFIED

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*