“Water Shortage” of African Countries Brought Cooperation Opportunities

Weekly Mandarin Translation

Recently, China Eximbank lent Cote d'ivoire government 50 billion FCFA to aid city water pipe reconstruction project in Abidjan city. Currently, Abidjan city has a water shortage as large as 150 thousand cubic meters. It was believe that the long-lasting water shortage problem will be solved once the project establishes.

近日,中国进出口银行向科特迪瓦政府贷款500亿西非法郎,用于阿比让市自来水管网改造工程。目前,该市日供水缺口达到15万立方米,工程建成后,将有效改善困扰当地已久的"喝水难"问题。

This article has been translated from Mandarin. Click here to read the original version on International Business Newspaper.

As economic develops, the urbanization of the African countries accelerates and the annual urban population grows fastest in the world. The demand for African countries quadrupled during the past 25 years, however, according to a recent report published by the World Bank, the water quality is declining in Africa. Many African cities face an increasing challenge of water shortage because the backward water supply system, uneven water pipe distribution, and supply facility that lacks of maintenance.

Lack of capital, many African city governments were unable to invest in water supply reconstruction projects. In some of the African cities, half of the water resource was lost through the leaking water pipes. Moreover, the backward facilities also led to the spread of the diseases such as dysentery and threatened the public  health. "Water is the source of life". Clean and sufficient water resource is of great importance to a city's economic development. African continent never lacks water resource. Every year during the monsoon, there is a large amount of precipitation quickened African land. Compared to other continents, the main reasons of water shortage in Africa are the uneven distribution and backward management.

However, the water shortages in African countries also brought opportunities to the cooperation between China and Africa. China could provide African countries with fund and technology. China could cooperate with African countries to promote residential water recycling project, establish rainwater collection& recycling system, update water pipes, decrease water waste, build desalinization plants  if the conditions permit. Additionally, apart from the capital investment, technology updates, the change of the concept on water consumption is also important. We believe, strengthening the cooperation between China and Africa could effectively solve water shortage problems and created opportunities of further Sino-African cooperation in the future. (Editor: Kai Guo)

Article translated by Qiuyun Shang, Staff Intern for the Kissinger Institute at the Wilson Center.

Photo courtesy of Oxfam International via Flickr Commons.