Africa has groundwater reserves to cope with five years of drought

Dakar, 21 Mar Most African countries have enough groundwater reserves to survive at least five years of drought (some even more than 50 years), according to a study published today in Dakar at the World Water Forum by the NGO WaterAid and the British Geological Survey (BGS). “There are huge water reserves just under people's feet, many of which are replenished each year by rainfall and other surface waters, but they cannot access them because services are chronically underfunded,” WaterAid's UK Executive Director Tim Wainwright said in a statement. “Harnessing groundwater would guarantee millions of people access to safe and clean water, no matter what the climate crisis holds for them,” Wainwright added. According to the research of both organizations, collected in the report “Groundwater: The World's Forgotten Defense Against Climate Change”, most countries in Africa have enough groundwater for people not only to survive, but to thrive. It also ensures that all countries in sub-Saharan Africa could supply 130 litres of drinking water per capita per day (which would be more than enough for drinking, cooking and washing) from groundwater without using more than 25% of the average long-term reserve. “Groundwater is nature's water reserve and a key resource for helping the world adapt to climate change,” said BGS head of groundwater resilience, Alan MacDonald. But, “to unlock the great potential of groundwater, we need the right investment in know-how to map groundwater, drill sustainable wells, and find ways to maintain and manage water resources and services,” he said. The report also explains that, while groundwater reserves are underutilized in sub-Saharan Africa, there are other areas of the world, mainly in South Asia, where overexploitation is rife. It also warns that groundwater is vulnerable to pollution by “excess fertilizers and pesticides that come from intensive agriculture and can leak into aquifers” and stresses that “insufficient regulation of industry can lead to a cocktail of toxic chemicals that penetrate the soil”. The UN Annual Water Development Report 2022 - also presented on Monday to mark the opening of the World Water Forum in Dakar, which is being held until next Friday - indicated that only 3% of total farmland is irrigated in sub-Saharan Africa. And only 5% of that percentage is irrigated with groundwater, despite having large reserves of this resource. CHIEF mrgz/pa/cc