Information:
Drought and drought in Africa
"Drought" often refers to "meteorological drought", that is, the long-term average precipitation in a certain area is reduced by 25%. Drought refers to the serious reduction of agriculture and animal husbandry due to drought, and people face the threat of hunger and death. In the past 30 years, there have been many droughts in Africa. During the period of 1968 ~ 1973, a drought that shocked the world occurred in West Africa, especially in the Sahel. The annual precipitation of countries in this region is generally less than half of that of normal years. Lake Chad was divided into several small lakes due to the drop of water level. The cultivated land cracked in a large area, crops failed, grass died in a large area, and a large number of people and animals died. According to statistics, about 200,000 people were killed in this drought. From 1983 to 1985, from the Atlantic coast of West Africa to the Horn of Africa, and then south to parts of South Africa, droughts and famines occurred. At least 30 million people in 20 countries are hungry, and 1000 people leave home in search of water and food. Following this drought, Africa has been suffering from drought and drought since 199 1. 1from March to may, 1992, about 75% of livestock died in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. On July 24th of the same year, the United Nations warned that nearly 40 million people in sub-Saharan African countries were threatened by hunger due to drought and civil war. 300,000 people in Somalia died of famine and 1 10,000 people were displaced. At the same time, the worst drought in the 20th century occurred in southern Africa. 1992, grain production in most countries in southern Africa was reduced by half. The United Nations reported on July 24th that 1992 drought has swallowed up the main crops in southern Africa, and about180,000 people are in urgent need of relief.
Arid Africa
Fresh water has been one of the most precious resources in Africa since ancient times, and there are countless wars caused by water sources. A recent report of the United Nations pointed out that at present, 14 countries in Africa are seriously short of water, and another 12 countries will be seriously short of water in the next 25 years.
According to statistics, in rural Africa, the average daily water consumption of each household is only 40-50 liters, while that of each household in the United States is as high as 700 liters. In southern Africa, the water shortage is even more serious, and only 5 1% of the population has access to sanitary drinking water. The report also pointed out that if the current situation continues, by 2025, half of Africa's population will not have access to sanitary drinking water.
Why is Africa so short of water resources? In addition to geographical location and climate factors, the rapid population growth is the main reason for the lack of water resources in Africa. At present, the population of Africa is 766 million. Although this figure does not seem to be very large, if people think that 40% of the land in Africa is arid and 27% of the land itself is desert, then they may change their original thoughts. What is even more worrying is that the population of Africa is growing at an annual rate of 2.4%, and it is expected to reach 654.38+300 million by 2025. If so, the already scarce water resources will be even more overwhelmed.
According to the statistics of UNESCO, the water crisis in Africa causes 6000 deaths every year, and about 300 million Africans live in poverty because of lack of water. In the next 20 years, at least 500 million people in Africa will live in trouble because of lack of water. This will further lead to their agricultural output will continue to decrease due to the lack of water to irrigate crops. Experts believe that in the next 23 years, due to the lack of sufficient water resources, Africa's grain output will be reduced by 23%, while some experts believe that Africa is not short of natural water resources, but poor Africa has not managed these precious water resources well, thus making the situation of water crisis increasingly severe. At present, one third of the population in Africa lacks drinking water, and nearly half of Africans suffer from drinking unclean water. Analysts believe that if the current situation of drinking water shortage is not improved, at least 65,438+07 African countries will be seriously short of water by 2065,438+07, and the water resource problem is likely to become the fuse of disputes or conflicts in some African countries.
According to statistics, in order to solve the water shortage problem of African population, it needs to invest 20 billion US dollars every year. At present, water supply investment in some African countries only accounts for 1% of the financial budget. Experts pointed out that the shortage of water resources will be a potential factor leading to social contradictions and political conflicts, and the difficulty of water supply will bring great crisis to the economic development and life health of African people.
According to the report of the United Nations Development Programme, 2 million children in Africa die of water shortage every year.
According to a report published by the United Nations, the increasingly serious drinking water and sanitation crisis causes nearly 2 million children to die every year in developing countries in Africa and other regions. The Human Development Planning Group named this report "Beyond Scarcity: Energy, Poverty and Global Water Shortage", which exist in various developing countries, especially in Africa.
"In most developing countries, the problem of unclean drinking water threatens human security even more than violent conflicts." The author of the report points out that about 6.5438+0.8 million children die of diarrhea every year, which can be completely avoided as long as there is clean drinking water and toilets; 443 million teaching days were lost due to diseases related to drinking water; About half of people in developing countries have at least one health problem caused by lack of drinking water and sanitation facilities at any time.
The Human Development Planning Group pointed out that "the crisis of drinking water and sanitation facilities not only brought direct diseases to human beings, but also hindered economic growth. For example, neighboring Africa and the Sahara desert lose 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) every year, which is far greater than the economic assistance received by the region. "
The report was released during the mission of the American ambassador to Abuja, and it also mentioned that "one third of the people who don't have enough clean drinking water can't reach the absolute poverty line of 1 USD per day, and the other third can't live on more than 2 USD per day."
"In terms of sanitation facilities, the poorest 2/5 residents in the world account for half of the global lack of share."
The report pointed out that "people may lack drinking water and sanitation facilities because of poverty, or their poverty may be due to lack of drinking water and sanitation facilities."
In either case, the author emphasizes that the survey data shows that there is a close two-way relationship between low economic income and lack of drinking water.
At the same time, the human development planning group suggested that by 2007, "the governments of developing countries should be urged to regard drinking water as a human right, formulate a national strategy on drinking water and sanitation facilities, and make the United Nations increase international assistance."
Africa-a vicious circle of water shortage and poverty
For Kabida, who lives in rural Niger, fetching water from a well 6 kilometers away from the village is one of her most important tasks every day. There is only one well in several villages near us. Children need water, and crops need water more. Water is the lifeblood here. Kabida waters her crops carefully because it is the only source of income for her family. Niger is a country mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, accounting for 4 1.7% of GDP. More than 80% of the country's residents are engaged in agriculture, with arable land17.23 million hectares, 270,000 hectares with irrigation potential, and only 70,000 hectares with irrigation potential.
Niger, located in the south of the Sahara Desert, is one of the hottest countries in the world and one of the regions with the lowest water supply coverage in the world. In rural Niger, people like Abida can be found everywhere.
According to the statistics of UNESCO, the water crisis in Africa causes 6000 deaths every year, and about 300 million Africans live in poverty because of lack of water. In the next 20 years, at least 500 million people in Africa will live in trouble because of lack of water. This will further lead to their agricultural output will continue to decrease due to the lack of water to irrigate crops. Experts believe that in the next 23 years, due to the lack of sufficient water resources, Africa's grain output will be reduced by 23%, while some experts believe that Africa is not short of natural water resources, but poor Africa has not managed these precious water resources well, thus making the situation of water crisis increasingly severe.
UN official in the same period: High demand, pollution and climate change, if you add more and more energy consumption for land production, the energy consumption will far exceed the demand in the next 30 to 50 years, which means that a lot of extra resources are needed. Because of the shortage of resources, these needs can not be fully met, so water resources will be scarce.
According to the actual situation in the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, the available resources are not fully utilized, just because the available resources are locked.
According to statistics, in order to solve the water shortage problem of African population, it needs to invest 20 billion US dollars every year. At present, water supply investment in some African countries only accounts for 1% of the financial budget. Experts pointed out that the shortage of water resources will be a potential factor leading to social contradictions and political conflicts, and the difficulty of water supply will bring great crisis to the economic development and life health of African people.