Mapping the potential of rainwater harvesting technologies in Africa: a GIS overview on development domains for the continent and nine selected countries

At the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002, water and sanitation were recognized as inextricably linked to the eradication of poverty and to the achievement of sustainable development. Water was identifi ed by the Secretary General as one of the fi ve “WEHAB” specifi c areas (Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture and Biodiversity) in which concrete results are both essential and achievable. That water is required to address all of them need not be emphasized. The WSSD further reiterated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target to halve by 2015, the proportion of people lacking safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Further deliberations on water have continued to dominate international forums, as discussed at the 2003 Third World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan; the International Conference on Water for the Poorest in Stavanger, Norway; and the annual Stockholm Water meetings. The UN General Assembly in late 2003 adopted a resolution that proclaimed the period 2005-2015 as the International Decade for Action-Water for Life. The resolution emphasized that water is critical for sustainable development, including environmental integrity and eradication of poverty and hunger, and is indispensable for human health and well-being. However, estimates show that two out of every three people in the world will live in water-stressed areas by the year 2025, while the number of people without access to clean water on the continent will also increase from 100 million to 400 million. This is an uphill task which requires concerted effort to resolve, and should involve all stakeholders.

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