Water in Southern Africa

This book, the first thematic update of the State of the environment in Southern Africa, published in 1994, looks at both freshwater and marine issues facing the South African Development Community Countries (SADC): Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The book is targeted at individuals concerned about inadequate water supplies, communities whose existence is threatened by shortage of water, institutions whose mandate is to ensure that people have access to safe drinking water and sanitation, governments which have to plan for the human population growing at an average rate of three per cent a year, and the international community which is worried that, instead of dousing fires, severe water shortages may actually ignite wars in the 21st century. The purpose of the book is to give an accessible overview of water issues in southern Africa. There are three parts to the book: Part One sets out the background information on southern Africa, its people, and their traditional and current methods of managing water resources. Part Two looks at the utilization and management of water resources in the region. Part Three examines current trends, and discusses the impact of population growth, climatic changes and economic development on water resources. This part of the book discusses the desired changes needed to conserve water and to ensure that the resource is used sustainably.