Namibia faces water bankruptcy

Jo-Maré Duddy – Namibia is one of 27 countries worldwide that faces high levels of water stress, where on average more than 40% of available supply is withdrawn every year.This is according to the World Resources Institute (WRI), a US think-tank who yesterday released its Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas. The new Aqueduct data includes both surface and groundwater stress for the first time.Out of 164 countries surveyed, Namibia was ranked 37th. Water stress levels in the first 17 countries on the list are “extremely high, where irrigated agriculture, industries and municipalities withdraw more than 80% of their available supply on average every year. These countries are home to one-quarter of the world’s population. African countries in this block are Botswana, Libya and Eritrea.Namibia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Niger and Egypt are African countries in the second worst affected group where water stress is high.The reasons for these crises go far deeper than drought, the WRI says. “Through new hydrological models, WRI found that water withdrawals globally have more than doubled since the 1960s due to growing demand – and they show no signs of slowing down.”Official numbersThe international data follows shortly after the release of a report by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), measuring the country’s progress on sustainable development goals.The figures show that 780 000 Namibians were affected by drought 2013, followed by the same number in 2014. In 2015, the drought affected the lives 1.36 million people, and again in 2016. According to the NSA, 580 000 Namibians bore the brunt of the drought in 2017, followed by the same number last year.The total economic loss of natural disasters in Namibia peaked in 2015 and 2016, with US$124 million – about N$1.8 billion - recorded for each year. The yearly economic loss for 2017 and 2018 was N$60 million or nearly N$900 million.The NSA calculated the impact of the drought and other natural disasters to measures Namibia’s progress against the targets of Vision 2030. By 2030, Namibia had to build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.“The data shows that Namibia’s population is vulnerable to disasters such as droughts and floods. However, despite the existence of a Disaster Risk Management Act (from 2012), a continuous monitoring on national level of disaster-affected persons has not been established,” the NSA says.Global picture"We're currently facing a global water crisis," Betsy Otto, director of WRI's global water programme, said yesterday.New data in WRI's Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas showed the lion's share of the most thirsty countries are located in the largely arid Middle East and North Africa region.Qatar is the most water-stressed country, followed by Israel and Lebanon.The world's water supplies are threatened by many factors, from climate change to mismanagement in the form of water waste and pollution, Washington-based WRI said.A high reliance on depleting groundwater supplies - difficult to measure and manage because they are buried deep - is an additional concern, Paul Reig, who leads work on the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, told journalists.Nearly a third of the world's fresh water is groundwater, according to the United States Geological Survey."Because we don't understand [groundwater], and don't see it, we manage it very poorly," Reig said. Water stress poses serious threats to human lives, livelihoods and business stability, the WRI says.“It’s poised to worsen unless countries act: Population growth, socioeconomic development and urbanisation are increasing water demands, while climate change can make precipitation and demand more variable.” – Additional reporting by Nampa/Reutersjo-mare@republikein.com.na

Namibia faces water bankruptcy

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