Southern African groundwater sector gets new champion

Abstract

Regional groundwater management Southern African groundwater sector gets new champion Containing 9% of the world’s water resources and 11% of the world’s population, sub-Saharan Africa is not necessarily ‘water poor.’ However, the region faces numerous water-related challenges that threaten economic growth and jeopardise livelihoods. Traditionally, the development and management of water resources in SADC has focused on surface water. However, there has been a realisation in recent years of the important role groundwater can play in the socio-economic development of the region not only as a local source for rural communities, but also as a feasible resource for bigger settlements. Some member states, such as South Africa, have actively integrated groundwater into their water resource management policies and laws, but generally groundwater does not feature prominently in institutional frameworks to manage water at both national and transboundary levels.

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