Sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly emerging as a hotspot for surface water pollution, posing serious risks to the region’s already stressed resources, the United Nations has warned. The alarming trend is drawing global attention to the challenges of maintaining clean water in a region where population growth, economic development, and climate change are intensifying the pressure on water bodies.
According to the UN’s latest progress report on Clean Water and Sanitation for All, some 90 countries, with a significant concentration in Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, are witnessing the degradation of one or more freshwater ecosystems. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this degradation is particularly concerning, as it affects a region already grappling with limited water resources and a growing population.
“As the population in the region grows and economies continue to develop, pressure on water bodies has intensified, leading to widespread degradation of water-related ecosystems, primarily driven by pollution, dams, land conversion, over-abstraction, and climate change,” the report states. The situation is critical for many countries in the region, which are falling behind in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.6.1—monitoring the change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time.
The UN’s 2024 report on the mid-term status of this indicator reveals a stark reality: over 60 percent of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia are currently experiencing degraded freshwater ecosystems. The trend graphs paint a troubling picture of ecosystem decline in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2000. Today, 30 percent more countries in the region report degradation in one or more sub-indicators than they did two decades ago.
These challenges are further compounded by the impacts of climate change. Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, manifesting as droughts, are contributing to the loss of permanent water in Northern, Sub-Saharan, and Southern Africa. The report highlights that, despite these emerging water quality hotspots driven by agricultural intensification and population growth, Sub-Saharan Africa lacks adequate monitoring capacity to manage these risks effectively.
Interestingly, while regions like North America, Europe, and Asia have seen a global net gain in permanent water thanks to the construction of reservoirs, Sub-Saharan Africa remains vulnerable due to its insufficient infrastructure and monitoring systems.
The implications of this water pollution crisis are profound, impacting not only human health but also the region’s economic development and environmental sustainability. Addressing this issue requires a concerted effort from local governments, international organizations, and communities to improve water management practices, increase monitoring capacity, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
For the latest updates on East Africa, follow Publicist East Africa.