Traditionally, communities are often located close to a source of water; however, other factors are considered in settlement, including access to grazing and cultivatable land. Therefore, water must often be gathered from some distance away. Water is a fundamental requirement needed to sustain life and well-being. Therefore, improving access to water is a critical element of poverty alleviation. As it is such a key requirement for livelihoods, it is often used as a key development indicator. Governments of the four basin states have made significant progress in past decades towards the provision of water to rural and isolated communities. Water collectionA study conducted by WHO/UNICEF (2008) found that when people are required to travel more than 30 minutes on a single water-hauling trip, they are more likely to compromise their daily water consumption, carrying less water than the household needs for basic needs (drinking water, food preparation and personal hygiene). When drinking water is not readily available, women are more than twice as likely as men to shoulder the burden of collecting and hauling drinking water from a remote location. Access to WaterAccess to clean potable water and to basic sanitation is a key indicator for human development. According to United Nations (UN) standards, access to safe water (see the Box below) is measured by the proportion of the population with access to an adequate amount of safe drinking water located within a convenient distance from the user’s dwelling (WHO/UNICEF 2008). Box 1: The Drinking Water LadderDrinking water supply can be broken down into three categories, illustrated in the form of a "drinking water ladder". The category "improved drinking water sources" includes sources that, by nature of their construction or through active intervention, are protected from outside contamination, particularly faecal matter. These include piped water in a dwelling, plot or yard, and other improved sources. "Unimproved sources" make up the third part of the ladder.
Source: WHO/UNICEF 2008 Chronic poverty is usually induced by long-term exposure to threats such as drought, famine and conflict. It is usually further exacerbated by remoteness as access to government services, markets, sanitation and healthcare often dwindle with distance from major urban centers. Due to their lack of proximity to these livelihood components, the rural poor are often the most vulnerable. Due to their economic position, most impoverished people usually live in conditions with poor sanitation and limited or no access to clean water, thus further increasing their vulnerability. These combined multiple factors are often referred to as the cycle of poverty: numerous factors, such as malnutrition, illness and poor living conditions, that when combined, make it difficult for people to break out of the conditions of poverty to improve their level of well-being and create a more positive livelihood. That is, it is difficult to get and maintain a job or produce your own food when you are suffering from malaria or malnourishment. Poverty and health are inextricably connected issues that form a feedback loop. Due to an inability or reduced capacity to work, sickness, disability and poor health increase poverty. Poverty, in turn, through reduced quality of life, exposes individuals and communities to health risks, as these groups are often marginalised to poor quality land with no facilities. Poor sanitation is a significant cause of illness and death in Africa. Burgeoning urban populations mean that many migrants seeking work in cities end up living in high-density, low-cost housing on the fringes of cities. Informal housing has little or no sanitation resulting in greatly increased health risks. Improved Drinking Water SupplyIn the global and African context, the Orange-Senqu riparian countries have managed to provide reasonable access to water for their citizens. According to newest statistics (http://www.indexmundi.com/ ) Botswana in 2008 had an "improved drinking water supply" coverage of 95%, as opposed to 93% in 1990. Lesotho’s improved drinking water supply coverage stood at 85% in 2008, whilst Namibia has managed to improve drinking water supply coverage from 57% in 1990 to 91% in 2008. During the same period, South Africa also improved its coverage from 81% to 92%. This improvement compares favourably with global and regional estimates. Vulnerability of water resources to environmental changeThe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP 2005)conducted a study to determine the vulnerability of water resources to environmental change in Africa, which included an assessment of the Orange-Senqu River basin. Box 2: The Results of the UNEP Study for the Orange-Senqu River BasinPhysiography
Socio-Economy
Management
Source: UNEP 2005 Access to water and the United NationsIn December 2003, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed the years 2005 to 2015 the International Decade for Action: "Water for Life". The primary goal of the "Water for Life" Decade is to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015. In 2003 the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) set up United Nations-Water as a mechanism to consolidate and co-ordinate all UN bodies dealing with water-related issues, specifically the urgent issues of water and sanitation issues. There are four specific programmes under United Nations-Water:
The United Nations World Water Development ReportSince 2003 The United Nations World Water Development Report is released every three years in conjunction with the World Water Forum. The report gives an overall picture of the state of the world's freshwater resources and aims to provide decision-makers with the tools to implement sustainable use of our water. The reports to date are:
The reports examine water management challenges and present case studies highlighting different water management scenarios. The main challenges highlighted in the reports are:
|
||||||||