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dam-l Act now on water crisis, warns Kasrils/LS
This article appeared in the Daily News on Friday 10 Decemeber 1999.
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Act now on water crisis, warns Kasrils
December 10 1999 at 09:22AM
Johannesburg - Almost half of Africa's population still did not receive
adequate water or sanitation services, Water Affairs and Forestry Minister
Ronnie Kasrils said on Thursday in Johannesburg.
"In Africa, water is both scarce and has tremendous quality challenges," he
told delegates involved in the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(UNCHS) project - Managing Water for African Cities.
"We live in a continent where almost half of our people are not adequately
serviced with regard to water and sanitation."
The project aims for sustainable water management strategies, conservation
and pollution control.
The delegations visited Johannesburg, Windhoek and Durban in the first of a
series of regional activities to address Africa's looming water crisis.
By 2050, sub-Saharan Africa, currently the least urbanised continent, will
have the fastest urban growth rates in history, which will put immense
stress on water resources, UNCHS spokesperson Andre Djikus said.
Most African cities would have to transport water from afar and would
discharge large amounts of used water into freshwater sources, thus
increasing water pollution.
"If we today continue with our business-as-usual approach to urban water
resources management, we might see water become more expensive than oil,"
said Djikus.
"The poor will no longer be able to afford sufficient amounts of clean
water, which could result in water riots and even water wars."
South Africa, among many countries in Africa and the developing world, had
in the past relied too heavily on supply-driven water solutions involving
building dams and diverting water sources, Kasrils said. This had now
shifted to a more integrated approach, he said. - Sapa
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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