Dossier Gª: África

Alumnas: Tamara Taghavie y Florina Ricean (4º B ESO)
Materia: Geografía Económica

 Poverty, Water in Africa Sub-Sahara

   Africa is one of the richest areas of the world as far as natural resources is concerned, but it continues being an underdeveloped area. Millennium Development Goals intend to reduce this development differences among countries.

We are now going to talk about how water affects this matter.

·       Main objective -   To understand the importance of water and respect it by means of EDUCATION

·        Focused on - SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

·       SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA - suffering WATER STRESS

·       Comparing statistics between SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA , INDIA and other developed countries

·       Problems with Water Pollution

"Clean, reliable sources of water for drinking, cooking, and other basic human needs are a necessary condition for the elimination of poverty and the success of sustainable development"

“ Water has no taste, no color, no odor; it cannot be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself. It fills us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses”

ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY (1900-1944), Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939

Where is Sub-Saharan Africa?

Sub-Saharan Africa is the area of the African continent south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara.  North Africa  is considered a part of the Arab world

Population:

Its population is expected to increase from 906 million in 2005 to 1.1 billion in 2010.

Sub-Saharan Africa is affected by:   WATER STRESS

What is Water Stress?

Water stress has to do with the economic, social, or environmental problems caused by unmet water needs. Lack of supply is often caused by contamination, drought, or no distribution.

·        About 64 % of Africans count on water

·        Croplands are the driest regions of Africa where some 40 % of the irrigated land is unsustainable

·        25 % of Africa's population suffers from water stress

·        Nearly 13 % of the population in Africa experiences drought-related stress once each generation

Current Water, Sanitation in Africa Sub-Sahara

Comparing the Water problem among countries:

·        Sub-Saharan Africa almost has no  access to clean water, with more than 4 out of 10 people  using rivers, ponds or other unsafe sources of drinking water.

·        Only 58 % of the 684 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have clean water, compared with an average of 79 % for the entire developing world.

·        India has made a huge effort. 86% of Indian citizens now have clean water - an increase of 18 % since 1990. Sub-Saharan Africans has gained access to clean water only 9%

·        Life expectancy: In sub-Saharan Africa a person can hope to live only 46 years!! or 32 years less than the average life expectancy in countries of advanced  development.

·       Infant mortality rate in the world. The picture shows differences among the developed and underdeveloped nations

We face serious problems with Water Pollution like:

·        Spread of diseases: cholera, infection diarrhea.

·        Some 1.8 million child deaths each year as a result of diarrhea.

·        3,000 children under the age of five die each day from malaria in Africa.

·        17 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have died of AIDS.

·        12 million children who have lost their parents to AIDS face a precarious future.

·        Affects body organs:  the heart and kidneys.

·        Affects the food chain: can harm aquatic organisms.

·        Flooding: The erosion of soil  causes flooding, especially

     with heavy rainfall.

…and remember:

 Safe, sustainable water for all

Tamara Taghavie Szentpal y Florina Ricean

4º B Instituto Saramago – December 2010

Sources:

·        www.watereducationfoundation.org

·        United Nations web page

·        The New York Times Magazine

·        Wikipedia

·        UNICEF

·        Water for All

·        India - Ministry of Water

·        World Health Organization

·        Google