Rising Tension Over Nile Water

CAIRO (AP) — Ministers from the 10 African countries on the Nile river began crucial discussions Monday over drafting a new water sharing agreement, which is hampered by Egypt’s refusal to reduce its share of world’s longest river.

In an opening address to the Nile Basin Initiative, held in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, Egypt’s Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif urged for a “return of the cooperation and harmony” among the group’s members, describing the ongoing dispute as a “misunderstanding.”

In the two-day meeting, participants are hoping to conclude the Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement, which establishes a permanent body to oversee water allocation along the Nile.

During talks last month in Kinshasa, Congo, officials from the 10 countries of the Nile basin, failed to agree over a new system of water sharing desired by a majority of the members.

A 1929 agreement between Egypt and Britain, acting on behalf of its then east African colonies, set up the original sharing framework and gave Cairo the right to veto upstream projects.

In a 1959 agreement with Sudan, Egypt was awarded an annual 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water, the largest share of any country along the river.

The remaining eight riparian states resent Egypt’s quota and want to draft a new agreement. The other Nile basin countries are Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda and Burundi.

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Source: Sun-Sentinel

Why Water Could be Worth Fighting For

Over one billion people – 18% of the world’s population – lack access to safe drinking water worldwide. Only 56% of Africa’s 800 million population have access to clean water. About 700 million people in 43 countries are affected by water scarcity, according to the UN.

In another few years – in 2025 to be precise – the number could swell to 3 billion driving back gains in the fight against poverty and under-development, otherwise known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

For many people around the world, safe drinking water is a scarce resource and out of necessity, they resort to what’s available – polluted water.

But contaminated water isn’t just dirty—it’s deadly. Some 1.8 million people die every year of diseases like cholera, caused by poor sanitation. Tens of millions of others are seriously sickened by a host of water-related ailments—many of which are easily preventable.

A child dies of a water-related illness every 15 seconds. This translates to 2 million children dying each year due to a lack of clean water and inadequate sanitation, a situation that can be changed by just providing access to clean water and sanitation. If this was done, it would reduce the risk of a child dying by as much as 50%.

Africa is one continent caught squarely in the middle of potential conflicts over this precious commodity among other scarce resources. Africa has two of the world’s longest rivers – the 6,400-kilometer Nile River and the 4,370-kilometer Congo River, but it suffers from a perennial shortage amidst potentially plentiful supplies. It also has 21 of the world’s most arid countries, in terms of water per person.

Water scarcity is defined as less than 1,000 m3 of water available per person per year, while water stress means less than 1,500 m3 of water available per person per year.

According to a 1999 UN Development Program report, the possible African ‘water wars’ flash points are the Nile, Niger, Volta and Zambezi basins. The report says that by 2025, another 12 African countries will join the 13 that already suffer from water stress or water scarcity.

Yet UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, admits that the state of the world’s waters remained fragile, with the need for an integrated and sustainable approach to water resource management pressing as ever.

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Source: Eco Worldly

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East Africa: Declining Lake Victoria Water Levels Worry UN

The East African Community should move fast and combat the rampant environmental degradation levels if they are to conserve water levels of Lake Victoria.

Environmental degradation has been singled out as the major cause of the declining water levels of Africa’s largest fresh water lake, a trend that, if not reversed, will not only have implications on the region but the world at large.

The concern was raised in a meeting the United Nations-Habitat Executive Secretary, Dr. Anne Tibaijuka had with the ministers of Water Development and the Environment from the five EAC member states at the launch of the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Initiative (LAWTSAN), earlier this week in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dr. Tibaijuka told the five ministers from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi that the world body is concerned with the dwindling water levels and will move to assist the regional body reverse the trend as soon as possible, much as the countries depending on the worlds 3rd largest lake have a more important role to play in restoring the declining water levels.

“The Lake Victoria water is sourced from streams and rivers from the five EAC member states, and we are concerned about how we can conserve and preserve the water catchment areas, in order to assist you meet the Millennium Development Goals as far as water and sanitation is concerned,” remarked the UN official.

The United Nations through its agencies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have pledged to work hand in hand with the EAC and other donor countries to halt the falling water levels in L. Victoria.

Dr. Tibaijuka cited the Netherlands as one of the countries that have pledged to finance L. Victoria conservation plans, pledging a $5.6 million fund towards the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation project that began earlier this year.

The Ministers, Stanislas Kamanzi (Rwanda), Maria Mutagamba (Uganda), Prof. Mark Mwandosya (Tanzania) and Dr. Samuel Ndayaragije (Burundi) pledged their countries’ readiness to support the cause to conserve the Lake Basin on which 90% of the EAC population directly depend.

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Source: allAfrica.com

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