The Kouiloo River, Congo-one of many rivers in the coastal area of Central Africa facing contamination by industry and siltation from excessive soil erosion.
Michel Gunther/Still Pictures
The impacts of declining water quality are both ecological and social, with the contamination of freshwater habitat resulting in: losses of biodiversity; regulation of water flow; and reduced availability of exploitatable water for domestic, industrial, agricultural and recreational functions. There are also heightened risks of waterborne diseases associated with lack of potable water and sanitation, and costs of water treatment are increasing at a time when investment in this sector is already inadequate. For example, the drinking water supply in Yaounde, Cameroon, experiences occasional shortages and interruptions, driving many people to fetch water from alternative sources, such as springs and wells. A recent study of the bacteriological status of fifteen of these wells and springs revealed high densities of faecal bacteria and, thus, high risk of disease (Nola, Njine, Monkiedje, Sikati, Foko, Djuikom and Tailliez 1998). Several wetlands in the region have been degraded, due to the construction of dams and irrigation schemes, which divert water, and thus alter hydrological regimes. The reduction in water flow, and the increased silt and nutrient levels from agricultural return flows, have resulted in loss of favourable habitat and breeding grounds, and several wetland species have been lost.
In response to pressures affecting water quality, many programmes and actions are under way in central Africa. These include: schemes for the drainage, purification and decontamination of freshwater systems; water management programmes; public awareness campaigns; ratification of relevant regional and transfrontier conventions for water resources protection and management; and efforts to implement water quality standards and control. National and international organizations have been instrumental in water supply and sanitation projects at the local level, and vehicles for international cooperation have been established for management of shared water resources. The Gulf of Guinea Large Ecosystem Project, for example, includes the management of land-based activities which contribute to declining water quality. The GEF-funded Reversal of Land and Water Degradation project has been initiated through the WB, in order to improve the management of resources in the Lake Chad basin. Gabon now has three Ramsar sites, following ratification of the Ramsar Convention in 1987 (Ramsar 2001), and Cameroon is undertaking the rehabilitation of wetlands that were compromised due to inappropriate development policies (see Box 2e.10).
|Box 2e.10 Wetland rehabilitation in Cameroon|
|Source: Acreman 1999, IUCN 2001|
Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of the population with access to potable water supply increased from 52 per cent to 62 per cent in Cameroon, and from 59 per cent to 60 per cent in Central African Republic (WHO/UNICEF 2000). Access to sanitation has shown very slight increases, and rates are still far below other countries in Africa. Continued increased investment in this area is required, in order to mitigate pollution and the outbreak of diseases arising from inadequate sanitation and wastewater treatment.