A water shortage crisis in Africa exists when there is not enough potable water for a population. The lack of fresh water leads to drought, famine and death. In many parts of Africa, a water crisis has existed for years.
The World Health Organization reported in 2015 that more than 40 percent of the global water-stressed population lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. In that same part of Africa, only an estimated 44 percent of the urban population and 24 percent of the rural population have adequate sanitation.
According to predictions reported at the 2012 Conference on Water Scarcity in Africa: Issues and Challenges, by the year 2030 an estimated 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will be living in areas of high water stress. This will likely displace 24 million to 700 million people as conditions there become increasingly unlivable. The average distance women in Africa must walk in order to collect water is 6 kilometers, or 3.75 miles. Water scarcity affects 1 in 3 people in this African region.
Despite the efforts of many people to correct it, the water shortage is actually getting worse in some areas.
