The Impacts of Water Scarcity on the Prospects for Poverty Alleviation

Inequality is not set to decrease and the rising number of poverty stricken people is set to clash when both water and food availability becomes even scarcer. As previous food exporters such as China and India becomes importers the battle for underground water and fertile lands, on which to grow food and fuel, will put much of the resource rich Africa in an even more exposed situation. Many parts of SSA suffer from a physical water scarcity but for the majority the scarcity is an economic water scarcity. If national governments and development organizations do not shape up quickly to protect SSA from water exploitation the consequences will be serious. There is a right way and a wrong way to deal with water scarcity. There are dangers in food-availability, health, land-grapping, conflict escalation etc. The main issues are all addressed here in an attempt to give insight and oversight of the current situation and the issues to tackle before aquifers are dried out completely.