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Sub-Saharan Africa was the world’s most water-stressed region between 2020 and 2021, revealed a new survey. Nearly 36 per cent of the people surveyed in the region were water insecure, according to the report published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal.
Some 436 million adults of the three billion surveyed across 31 low-and middle-income countries across four regions in sub-Saharan Africa were water insecure during 2020-2021, showed the findings of the survey published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal.
Some 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa accommodated the most water-stressed population last year, noted the study published November 10, 2022. Sub-Saharan Africa was followed by North Africa (four countries), Asia (three countries) and Latin America (three countries).
Some 14.2 per cent of the respondents suffered water insecurity. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Cameroon (63.9 per cent) and Ethiopia (45 per cent), experienced the highest rates of water insecurity. At the same time, countries in Asia, like China (3.6 per cent), experienced the least.
The study led by Institute for Policy Research anthropologist Sera Young revealed the first snapshot of global experiences with water insecurity. The researchers were able to pinpoint which socio-demographic groups experienced the highest rates of water insecurity.
They used Individual Water Insecurity Experiences (IWISE) scale to grade the degrees of water insecurity. They asked questions such as how often participants worried about not having enough water, how often they were unable to wash their hands, or how often they changed what they ate because of water shortage.
Women were more water insecure than men in six countries — Mauritius, Senegal, Cameroon, Algeria, India and Guatemala — as well as in the North African region.
The proportion of water insecurity that was experienced by women ranged from 38.8 per cent in Ghana to 60.4 per cent in Senegal, the study noted.
Men were more water insecure than women in two countries — Ethiopia and Ghana.
High-income urban households were three times more likely to have access to improved water sources than low-income urban households across 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
People with lower levels of income and those residing on the outskirts of cities were more prone to water insecurity. For example, those living in city suburbs or outskirts in Burkina Faso had lower IWISE scores than city residents.
Those living in rural areas in Senegal, Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon and Ethiopia shared the same experience.
COVID-19 triggered water insecurity across countries and regions. Some 31.6 per cent reported that their lives were somewhat affected by the pandemic. Where as, another 47·9 per cent reported that the pandemic significantly affected their lives.
The study urged scholars and policymakers to look beyond water availability and infrastructure when examining water insecurity to capture the scope of the global water crisis.