510
A. Vushe
According to Sedlak (2014), current pricing methods and price control mechanisms for water services are not sustainable. For example, U.S. pricing models
fail to incentivize water utilities to invest in existing water reticulation infrastructure or expand services, and hence the utilities rely heavily on federal subsidies.
African countries with growing urban populations require new, well-thought-out
water service arrangements, water pricing, and revenue collection strategies. Conventional waterborne and pit latrine systems are failing, especially in water-stressed semiarid urban areas. For this reason, African water engineers and scientists must develop
new cost-effective designs and management systems suitable for drought-prone
areas.
8 Mitigate Water Stresses and Improve Resilience Against
Droughts
Proactive and reactive measures are required to mitigate the effects of droughtinduced water shortages and hunger. Wada et al. (2014) propose strategies that
were distinguished as “soft path” and “hard path” measures. Soft strategies that
may be applicable to Africa include increasing agricultural water productivity of
irrigated and indigenous crops and breeding new cultivars that adapt to the changing
climate and are highly nutrient-efficient. There are serious concerns about the impact
of eutrophication, so nutrient pollution from agriculture must be monitored and
controlled. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), for food production, can be
a fitting soft path solution, but there are consumer health and environmental safety
concerns (Lödige 2018). The biotechnology industry must ensure that there is full
understanding, which can only be established through participative long-term transparent scientific analyses and uncontested safety assurance for GMO foodstuff to be
freely accepted by the African majority.
New energy- and water-efficient irrigation technologies for large-scale and smallholder farms (as small as 0.5 ha), as well as development of wastewater recycling
and saltwater desalinization, are approaches worth exploring. Reduction of domestic
and industrial water could be achieved in water-stressed areas through, for example,
reducing leakage in the water infrastructure and improving water recycling facilities.
Limiting the rate of urban population growth, especially in water-stressed areas, may
be achieved through family planning and tax incentives. Other solutions that may
be tested are decentralized economic development that discourage urban expansion
in water-stressed areas in favor of industrial expansion in water-rich regions and/or
strengthening the virtual water trade.
Hard strategies include increasing water storage in surface and groundwater reservoirs, which could, in principle, be applicable to any water-stressed basin with a
reservoir. Research will be required to make existing reservoirs larger and/or build
new reservoirs and reduce sedimentation with minimum socioeconomic and environmental costs. Low-cost desalination of seawater could be developed in coastal
A. Vushe
According to Sedlak (2014), current pricing methods and price control mechanisms for water services are not sustainable. For example, U.S. pricing models
fail to incentivize water utilities to invest in existing water reticulation infrastructure or expand services, and hence the utilities rely heavily on federal subsidies.
African countries with growing urban populations require new, well-thought-out
water service arrangements, water pricing, and revenue collection strategies. Conventional waterborne and pit latrine systems are failing, especially in water-stressed semiarid urban areas. For this reason, African water engineers and scientists must develop
new cost-effective designs and management systems suitable for drought-prone
areas.
8 Mitigate Water Stresses and Improve Resilience Against
Droughts
Proactive and reactive measures are required to mitigate the effects of droughtinduced water shortages and hunger. Wada et al. (2014) propose strategies that
were distinguished as “soft path” and “hard path” measures. Soft strategies that
may be applicable to Africa include increasing agricultural water productivity of
irrigated and indigenous crops and breeding new cultivars that adapt to the changing
climate and are highly nutrient-efficient. There are serious concerns about the impact
of eutrophication, so nutrient pollution from agriculture must be monitored and
controlled. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), for food production, can be
a fitting soft path solution, but there are consumer health and environmental safety
concerns (Lödige 2018). The biotechnology industry must ensure that there is full
understanding, which can only be established through participative long-term transparent scientific analyses and uncontested safety assurance for GMO foodstuff to be
freely accepted by the African majority.
New energy- and water-efficient irrigation technologies for large-scale and smallholder farms (as small as 0.5 ha), as well as development of wastewater recycling
and saltwater desalinization, are approaches worth exploring. Reduction of domestic
and industrial water could be achieved in water-stressed areas through, for example,
reducing leakage in the water infrastructure and improving water recycling facilities.
Limiting the rate of urban population growth, especially in water-stressed areas, may
be achieved through family planning and tax incentives. Other solutions that may
be tested are decentralized economic development that discourage urban expansion
in water-stressed areas in favor of industrial expansion in water-rich regions and/or
strengthening the virtual water trade.
Hard strategies include increasing water storage in surface and groundwater reservoirs, which could, in principle, be applicable to any water-stressed basin with a
reservoir. Research will be required to make existing reservoirs larger and/or build
new reservoirs and reduce sedimentation with minimum socioeconomic and environmental costs. Low-cost desalination of seawater could be developed in coastal