Water Security in Africa: A Preliminary Assessment

Oluwasanya, Grace; Perera, Duminda; Qadir, Manzoor; Smakhtin, Vladimir

doi:10.53328/munm8683

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…However, Nigeria's water resource faces threats ranging from climate-induced extremes (floods and droughts) to pollution from industrial and agricultural activities, uncontrolled urbanization, conflicts, poor governance, and an increasing population growth rate (+2.4%), resulting in a decline in water availability per capita [21] . The country ranked 22nd among 54 African countries in terms of water security [22] and rated water insecure in the Global Water Security Outlook 2023 [23] -suggesting Nigeria's position in both rankings is poor with a huge opportunity for improvement to be water secured.…”

Section: Why Focus On a Low-and Middleincome Country?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unmasking the Unseen: The Gendered Impacts of Water Quality, Sanitation and Hygiene

OLUWASANYA,

OMONIYI,

PERERA

et al. 2024

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This report investigated the interplay between water quality, sanitation, hygiene and gender by examining distinct variables of water quality and their varying impacts on gender like reported water-related illnesses of males and females, and the consequences of water quality, sanitation, and hygiene on menstrual hygiene practices, particularly focusing on a low- and middle-income country- LMICs. This report presents the key findings, outlining a framework and guidance for examining gender-specific impacts stemming from poor water quality and WASH practices through a piloted case study in Abeokuta City, Nigeria, to serve as a preliminary guide for conducting comprehensive, site-specific assessments. The piloted Differential Impacts Assessment, DIA framework is a 5-step approach, guiding the evaluation of gendered impacts from method design to the field activities, which include water sampling and laboratory analysis, public survey, and health data collection, to the data and gender analysis. The focus on low- and middle-income countries underscores the importance of DIA in such regions for better health and socioeconomic outcomes, promoting inclusive development. The study results reveal unsettling, largely unseen gender disparities in exposure to health-related risks associated with non-utility water sources and highlight pronounced differences in water source preferences and utilization, the burden of water sourcing and collection, and health- and hygiene-related practices. Specifically, this preliminary assessment indicates an alarming inadequacy in accessing WASH services within the pilot study area, raising considerable doubts about achieving SDG 6 by 2030. While this finding is worrying, this report also discusses the lack of a standardized protocol for monitoring water-related impacts utilizing sex-disaggregated data, shedding light on the unseen global-scale gendered impacts. The report warns about the water safety of non-utility water sources. Without point-of-use treatment and water safety protocols, the water sources are unsuitable for potable uses, potentially posing compounded health risks associated with microbial contaminations and high calcium content, particularly affecting boys. Girls are likely the most affected by the repercussions of water collection, including time constraints, health implications, and safety concerns. Men and boys face a higher risk related to poor hygiene, while women may be more susceptible to health effects stemming from toilet cleaning responsibilities and shared sanitation facilities. Despite the preference for disposable sanitary pads among most women and girls, women maintain better menstrual hygiene practices than girls. This age-specific disparity highlights potential substantial health risks for girls in the near and distant future. Enhancing women's economic status could improve access to superior healthcare services and significantly elevate household well-being. The report calls for targeted actions, including urgent planning and implementation of robust water safety protocols for non-utility self-supply systems and mainstreaming gender concerns and needs as the “6th” accelerator for SDG 6. The piloted methodology is scalable and serves as an introductory guide that can be further refined to explore and track site-specific differential health and socioeconomic effects of inadequate water quality, especially in locales similar to the study area. The report targets policymakers and donor organizations advocating for sustainable water resource development, public health, human rights, and those promoting gender equality globally

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Section: Why Focus On a Low-and Middleincome Country?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unmasking the Unseen: The Gendered Impacts of Water Quality, Sanitation and Hygiene

OLUWASANYA,

OMONIYI,

PERERA

et al. 2024

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“…Others are lack of funding for infrastructure development (with the consequent poor improvement of basic human needs throughout the country including access to safely managed WASH facilities), vulnerability to water-climate-induced disasters, and weak institutional capacity to deal with these challenges. Poor governance is re ected in the reliability and affordability of water services and WASH infrastructure development (Oluwasanya et al, 2022).…”

Section: The Context and Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Water quality and gender intersections: Assessing differential impacts on health and well-being in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Oluwasanya

Omoniyi

Perera

et al. 2023

Preprint

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It is often assumed that humans experience the effect of poor water quality like multiple health and socioeconomic impacts in the same way. But these impacts are not gender-neutral due to inequalities caused by physiological composition, age marginalization, and socioeconomic conditions, among others. We analyzed the intersections between water quality and gender and applied a mixed-method approach in collecting local-specific data and information. The assessment shows that without point-of-use water treatment, the water sources in the area are not safe for potable purposes, as the waters are hard in the sequence of borehole > surface water > hand-dug well > sachet water, with elevated levels of calcium (> 75mg/L) and not free from microbial contamination. Among the area population segments, men and boys (relative to women and girls) are more susceptible (55%) to the compounding health effects associated with the hardness and high calcium concentration in water. Girls are the most affected by the associated impacts of water collection. Men and boys are more vulnerable to the consequences of poor hygiene, while women are more susceptible to the health effects of toilet cleaning and sharing of sanitation facilities. Though most women and girls prefer disposable sanitary pads, women change more frequently and practice better menstrual hygiene than girls. We conclude that there are differential impacts of unsafe water, WASH services, and practices on human health. Gendered statistics through sex-disaggregated data is crucial to unmasking the differential impacts, which are neither gender-neutral nor evenly distributed between women and men, and boys and girls.

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“…On the other hand, prolonged droughts can lower the water table and reduce the overall availability of groundwater. Water security in Africa can therefore be further compounded by climatic challenge and urbanization Figure 1, shows the ranking of African countries based on their water security [data from Oluwasanya et al, (2022)]. Out of 54 countries only 13 (less than 25%) reached a modest level of water security in recent years, and around one-third are considered to have levels of water security below the threshold of 45.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This can be achieved by the adoption dynamic and efficient methods in assessing the need and availability of groundwater resources especially in areas with high water scarcity and deteriorating quality (Oluwasanya et al, 2022). Over the past ten years, machine learning has been increasingly and successfully used in groundwater potential mapping across the world (Tao et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Geological and Climatic Variables in Groundwater Availability Prediction in Africa: Machine Learning Approaches

Touré,

Boateng,

Gidigasu

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Groundwater is crucial for Africa's potable water supply, agriculture, and economic development. However, the continent faces challenges with groundwater scarcity due to factors like population growth, climate change, and over exploitation. Over the past ten years, machine learning has been increasingly and successfully used in groundwater level prediction across the world. This review paper explores the application of machine learning techniques in predicting groundwater levels in Africa. The methodology involved downloading relevant papers, identifying and categorizing the machine learning algorithms employed, and quantifying their use. Geological and climatic variables were also identified, analyzed and categorized to measure their usage frequency. The different algorithms and input variables extracted from each paper are graphically represented in this document highlighting the most employed ones. The findings suggest that the available literature on this topic in Africa is limited compared to the rest of the world. Tree-based algorithms are commonly used in machine learning in Africa, and the most employed input variables are related to geomorphology and temperature. The study highlights the potential of machine learning in improving water resource management and decision-making in the region.

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Water Security in Africa: A Preliminary Assessment

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Unmasking the Unseen: The Gendered Impacts of Water Quality, Sanitation and Hygiene

Unmasking the Unseen: The Gendered Impacts of Water Quality, Sanitation and Hygiene

Water quality and gender intersections: Assessing differential impacts on health and well-being in Abeokuta, Nigeria

A Review of Geological and Climatic Variables in Groundwater Availability Prediction in Africa: Machine Learning Approaches

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