Water Resources and Storage

Transboundary Water Resource Management (TWRM) is the term most often used to describe the process of neighbouring countries working together to manage shared water resources.  It begins at the river basin level and encompasses storage, containment, ecological balances, water conservation, flood management, drought mitigation, irrigation, navigation, hydro-power development and water for consumption.  The continent has a number of river basins that cut across country borders.  Understanding, monitoring and using water resources in a sustainable way and with good ecological and environmental safeguards is critical in order to:

• better understand what is happening to Africa’s changing climate patterns;
• develop water storage facilities to protect people and assets against floods, drought and erosion;
• optimise the development of human activities amongst neighbour countries;
• make common plans for times of water scarcity.

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) has the world’s lowest water storage capacity at around 43m³ per person per year and has developed less than 7% of its hydropower potential.  North America, on the other hand, has a water storage capacity of 6150m³ per person per year and has developed 60% of its hydropower potential.