Africa, the most underprivileged continent of all, is in danger of running out of clean drinking water within the current century.

Water scarcity can be described as a lack of clean drinking water. Although this problem has existed for a long time, it is continuing to get worse.

Currently, one in every six people lacks access to safe drinking water.

There are many different reasons why countries in Africa, especially in the central part of Africa, lack water. These reasons typically include a lack of finances in most governments, which means that there are no finances to sustain the quality of drinking water. The fact that global warming is taking a toll on drying out the freshwater resources also affects those that have some type of access to safe drinking water.

Since mines curate most of the income in African countries, pollution is also considered one of the main causes of the bad quality of water. Finally, rivers, streams, and dams are spread out over a distance from one another, making it difficult for everybody to have access to running water and sanitation to their home. Most Africans must travel a substantial distance daily to collect water for them and their families to survive.

What is Being Done to Help the African Water Scarcity Epidemic?

There are a few programs set in place to aid the water scarcity problem in Africa. One of the biggest, is the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, which was created and managed by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Hydrologists have assessed water scarcity on the continent, looking at the ratio of the population to the amount of available safe drinking water. Studies suggest that for each person living in Africa, 1,700 cubic meters of water is required. This number includes both industrial and agricultural energy required for each person. However, there are currently only 1,000 cubic meters per person available, defining the severity of the problem.

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