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© irin
Egyptian Water Minister Dr Mahmoud
Abu-Zeid |
ADDIS ABABA, 8 Dec 2003 (IRIN) - Africa is facing an enormous water
crisis afflicting 300 million Africans and claiming 6,000 lives a year, a
major summit heard on Monday.
Water scarcity is also rapidly
increasing the dangers of “social and political conflict” among booming
city populations, senior United Nations officials warned.
The
warning came at a high level five-day summit in Addis Ababa attended by
African government ministers representing more than 40 countries, and some
1,000 delegates.
Although water is in abundant supply on the
world’s poorest continent it is poorly managed and is fuelling a
catastrophic crisis, officials were told.
African ministers are
appealing for some US $16 billion a year from major financial institutions
such as the World Bank to help address the continent’s mammoth water
woes.
Egyptian Water Minister Dr Mahmoud Abu-Zeid accused rich
nations of “turning their backs on the poor” by failing to provide massive
financial support.
He said without enormous financial backing and
political commitment from African leaders, impoverished nations "will
never escape the vicious cycle of poverty”.
Dr Abu-Zeid also called
upon African countries to ensure peace and security by working together to
avoid the threat of disputes sparked by water shortages.
Kingsley
Amoako, head of the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) estimated
that US $20 billion a year was needed to help get water to 300 million
Africans.
But as yet just US $4 billion is spent per year on water
supply and sanitation. As a result, millions live in appalling conditions
and needlessly die, Amoako told the conference.
He also challenged
African governments to “put their money where their mouth is” and commit
five percent of their national budgets to funding water
projects.
At present some countries are spending as little as one
percent of their budgets on water supply – relying on foreign aid to make
up the difference.
Amoako told delegates that desertification of
the continent, as well as years of poor management and widespread
environmental degradation, must be reversed.
“We owe it to our
children and grandchildren to address all these concerns with haste,” he
said. “If we fail to do so, history will not judge us
kindly.”
Under plans being drawn up, African governments are
looking to work together to harness the power of rivers on the continent
to avoid the threat of so-called “water wars”.
More than two thirds
of Africa’s 60 river basins are shared by more than one country – further
fuelling potential clashes over how they should be used.
Key ideas
emanating from the conference are fresh water supply to local populations,
hydropower generation, tourism and agriculture.
The key summit is
the first of its kind in bringing together political leaders and experts
from across the continent to establish an action plan aimed at the proper
use of water.
Anna Tibaijuka, head of UN Habitat, said failing to
utilise water effectively would undermine important economic and political
strides made on the continent.
“This economic recovery could be in
peril if Africa fails to manage its water resources efficiently and
equitably,” she warned.
She also said impoverished Africans living
in slums on the continent were being forced to pay five times as much as
people living in rich nations for a litre of clean water.
In less
than two decades, 500 million people would be living in cramped conditions
in the continent’s burgeoning cities – most without clean water," she
added.
“Water scarcity is fast becoming a potential source of
social and political conflict,” she noted. “Poor service provision is
extremely detrimental to the health and economy of the African
continent.”
