Transboundary Water Resources Management in Africa
Concern that the per capita availability of freshwater in Africa has declined significantly in the last three decades led us to investigate what extent management action have been employed to ensure sustainable use of shared water resources. In an attempt to meet increasing national demand for water, some countries sharing common waters have in recent times been involved in conflict. Water resources- sharing among riparian states is tending to become a potential source of regional tension as evidenced in the Nile River and between Nigeria and Cameroon over the Bakassi Peninsula. This trend has the potential to explode into open armed conflict as available evidence indicates that most water systems in Africa are stressed. The task was to obtain and examine empirical information and assess relevant case study and references from accessible documentation and expert contacts pertinent to the issue of shared water resources. The study focused on the Zambezi River as case study based on the following criteria: (1) The Zambezi flows through the drought - prone Southern Africa sub-region, traversing 8 countries, where water is considered a critical resource that underlies all problems encountered in socio- economic development. (2) The Zambezi is one of the most developed drainage basins in Africa, thus, much can be learned from the management actions applied. (3) The river serves an estimated dependent population of more than 7 million people. This being one of the largest in Africa shows its critical importance. (4) The Zambezi is top on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) agenda for water resources development in the sub-region. 2 countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe were visited out of the 8 countries sharing the watercourse where interviews were conducted. Questionnaires were sent to selected expert contacts in all the countries in order to obtain country specific data. Information was further sought from literature survey of published materials and documentation. Based on the information gathered and analysed, the major freshwater sources in Africa are under stress arising from several factors which include drought, soil erosion and sedimentation, rapid population growth, industrial pollution, commercial agriculture, mining activities and hydro-power development. Management actions have been initiated at community, national and international levels to address the problem. To ensure sustainability, we proposed some options and made recommendations to direct the course of management action.
transboundary water resources Africa Zambezi River
Luke ONYEKAKEYAH
Guardian Newspapers, Editorial Board, Isolo Lagos PMB 1217 Oshodi, Lagos Nigeria
国际会议
山东东营
英文
221-228
2007-10-16（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）