The “State of Africa’s Environment 2024” report made a splash at its launch today, diving deep into the theme of water.
Covering everything from water security and urban water poverty to climate change-induced scarcity and water-related conflicts, the report paints a comprehensive picture of the continent’s pressing water challenges.
The 2024 State of Africa’s Environment report highlights a 34% increase in water-related conflicts in Africa, with 71 incidents in 2023 compared to 53 in 2022, marking the highest number since 2019.
The report, launched by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Media for Science, Environment, Health and Agriculture (MESHA), underscores water scarcity as both a resource issue and a result of poor management.Sunita Narain, CSE’s Director General, emphasized that global warming-induced water stress may displace up to 700 million Africans by 2030, and food production could decline by 6-14% by 2050.
The report also notes that Africa is experiencing more rapid warming than other regions, with northern and southern Africa facing temperature increases of up to 4°C above normal.By 2050, water scarcity will affect at least 24 major cities across 15 African countries.
The report advocates for reviving traditional rainwater harvesting and land-water management practices to address the crisis.
