Publication: Sustainable Development of Africa's Water Resources
Date
1996-10
ISSN
Published
1996-10
Author(s)
Sharma, Narenda P.
Abstract
This study, African water resources:
challenges and opportunities for sustainable management
propose a long-term strategy for water resource management,
emphasizing the socially sustainable development imperatives
for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The message of this strategy
is one of optimism - the groundwork already exists for the
sustainable management of Africa's water resources. The
strategy recommends an integrated cross-sectoral, catchment
area approach in Africa, and calls for both public and
private participation in managing and developing water
resources. The strategy also recognizes and uses the large
reservoir of African capacity and builds upon the numerous
existing achievements in Africa. The paper identifies five
development imperatives: household water security, catchment
area and wetland protection, food security, water quality
and human health, and intra-national and international
conflict resolution. Sub-Saharan Africa is a vast region
which sees too little water, or too much, in the wrong place
or at the wrong time. Too many demands are placed on too few
resources, with too many people, agencies, or institutions
trying to manage these resources. While water and water
systems are integrated resources, the human response - in
development efforts - is often not integrated.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Sharma, Narenda P.. 1996. Sustainable Development of Africa's Water Resources. Africa Region Findings & Good Practice Infobriefs; No. 74. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9954 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”