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

Annual freshwater withdrawals in East Africaare a small percentage of the total available,ranging from less than 3 per cent of the totalresources available in Burundi to 12 per cent inRwanda (UNEP 2002). For example, in Kenyaonly 33 per cent of the land area has adequateand dependable water, but this area is home to 70per cent of the population. The countries of CentralAfrica have the highest per capita availabilityof water (fig. 4.10) together with some countrieslike Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Madagascarand Guinea from other subregions.In 1998, the annual withdrawal of freshwaterfor Central Africa was estimated to have beenless than 1 per cent of the total available (fig.4.11). However, the uneven distribution of waterresources, with respect to time and populationdistribution, has created challenges for watersupply. The traditional response to this challengehas been to dam rivers and to distribute water tothe people, rather than resettling people closerto water resources. Given the relatively high reliabilityof rainfall in this subregion, irrigation isnot always required, and the agricultural sectoronly consumes 33 per cent of all withdrawals,whereas the domestic sector accounts for morethan 50 per cent of all withdrawals (UNEP 2002,Shiklomanov 1999).FRESHWATER RESOURCES IN AFRICAFigure 4. 10: Water Availability Per Capita (1961-1990)• • •Water Availability per Person (1000m3)•• ••• •• •••• •CountrySource: Center for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel, WaterGAP 2.1B, 2001 via ciesin.orgDespite efforts to provide water to municipalitiesin central Africa, there are significant shortfalls,for example, in Chad, where only 27 per centof the population has access to improved watersources. Demand for water in West Africa hasbeen steadily increasing in all sectors as a resultof population growth, commercial agriculturalexpansion, and industrial development. Currenttotal withdrawal of water for domestic, industrialand agricultural consumption is 11 km 3 /yr, anddemand for water from all sectors is expected toincrease to some 36 km 3 /yr by 2025 (fig.4.12).67