African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

Enhancing access for sustainable developmentAccording to some reflections on water resourcesand some socio-economic indicators access towater supply for both the urban and rural peoplein Africa is not directly tied to water availabilityin countries or the respective subregions. Forexample, many North African countries, such asAlgeria and Egypt, have provided water supplyfacilities to a large segment (over 90 per cent)of their population, whereas the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo, with more than 30 percent of Africa’s water resources can barely satisfythe water needs of 27 per cent of its population.The number of people in sub-Saharan Africato whom access to water supply and sanitationmust be extended by 2015 to meet target 10 ofthe MDGs is shown in table 5.4 below.This shows that in many African countries, theproblem is not one of physical water scarcitybut rather of structurally induced water scarcityresulting from very low infrastructural and socio-economicdevelopment. Even in the face ofwater scarcity, if resources, technical know-how,planning and institutional capability are put inplace and government commitment is stronglybehind development, much progress could bemade in this vital area. There is, therefore, theurgent need to build the social adaptive capacityof African countries and translate them into theability of the State to implement policies to supplywater to the people by harnessing the knowledge,financial resources and energy of all sectorsof society and at all levels of decision making.This should be the goal towards which the variousinternational and African regional water andsocio-economic development policy declarationsand targets must be directed.WATER FOR MEETING BASIC NEEDSTable 5.4: Number of people to whom access must be extended by 2015Source: MDG Task Force on Water and Sanitation, 2005 (Adapted from WHO/UNICEF JMP 2004).African and International Water Supply and Sanitation Targets+ + Africa Water Vision, 2025- - 25% reduction before 2005 of the populations having no access to a hygienic and suitable systemof drinking water supply and sanitation.- - 75% reduction before 2015 and 95% before 2025 of the populations having no access to a hygienicand suitable system of drinking water supply and sanitation.+ + UN Millennium Development Goal (2000)‘Reduce by half, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.’+ + World Summit on Sustainable Development, Plan of Action (2002):‘... we agree to halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinkingwater (as outlined in the Millennium Declaration) and the proportion of people who do not have access to basicsanitation.’109