| Chapter 1: | Water Resources Development and Management in Sub-Saharan Africa |
|
|
The abundance of solar, geothermal, and wind sources and their environmentally friendly development and use make them appropriate alternatives to hydropower (Karekezi & Kithyoma, 2003). The production of biofuel, on the other hand, competes with both water and food production. Even though the amount of water withdrawn for biofuel production globally was still modest in 2008, impacts may be significant in localities where bioethanol crops are irrigated (Hoogeveen, Faurès, & Van de Giessen, 2009; see also chapters 2, 3, and 8).
Balancing the Local and Global in Managing Sub-saharan Africa's Water Resources
To be clear, water resources development is not a panacea that will solve all of SSA's problems. Neither is consideration of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) concepts, joint management, concern for environmental impacts, and value for the natural state of rivers in some way wrong. On the contrary, such concerns are particularly valid in SSA given the continued dependence of many livelihoods on direct uses of natural resources. Manifestations of neglect to environmental requirements range from siltation of dams in degraded watersheds, increased risk of flooding as a result of intensive cultivation methods and deforestation, to the pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater with domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastes and chemicals (Showers, 2002; World Health Organization & United Nations Environmental Programme, 2008). The economic, environmental, and social value of “in situ” water left in the environment has received little attention in Africa, where the adoption and implementation of valuation of water for ecosystems and livelihoods are still in their infancy (Ampomah, 2004).
These activities may be carried out as part of integrated development programs which aim to value, coordinate, and integrate different uses of water in order to strike a desirable balance. While all water requirements may be theoretically factored into integrated development programs, in practice, national requirements may be prioritized over more local water requirements (International Water Management Institute, 2007).