Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Laboratoire Population-Environnement-Développement (IRD/AMU), Marseille, France.
Global Studies Institute, Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Sci Total Environ. 2017 Dec 31;607-608:497-508. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.157. Epub 2017 Jul 27.
For the next decade, the global water crisis remains the risk of highest concern, and ranks ahead of climate change, extreme weather events, food crises and social instability. Across the globe, nearly one in ten people is without access to an improved drinking water source. Least Developed Countries (LDCs) especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are the most affected, having disproportionately more of the global population without access to clean water than other major regions. Population growth, changing lifestyles, increasing pollution and accelerating urbanization will continue to widen the gap between the demand for water and available supply especially in urban areas, and disproportionately affect informal settlements, where the majority of SSA's urban population resides. Distribution and allocation of water will be affected by climate-induced water stresses, poor institutions, ineffective governance, and weak political will to address scarcity and mediate uncertainties in future supply. While attempts have been made by many scientists to examine different dimensions of water scarcity and urban population dynamics, there are few comprehensive reviews, especially focused on the particular situation in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper contributes to interdisciplinary understanding of urban water supply by distilling and integrating relevant empirical knowledge on urban dynamics and water issues in SSA, focusing on progress made and associated challenges. It then points out future research directions including the need to understand how alternatives to centralized water policies may help deliver sustainable water supply to cities and informal settlements in the region.
在未来十年，全球水危机仍是人们最关注的风险，其关注度高于气候变化、极端天气事件、粮食危机和社会不稳定。在全球范围内，近十分之一的人无法获得改善后的饮用水源。最不发达国家（LDCs），尤其是撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA）地区受到的影响最大，无法获得清洁水的全球人口比例高于其他主要地区。人口增长、生活方式的改变、污染加剧和城市化加速将继续扩大水需求与供应之间的差距，特别是在城市地区，这将不成比例地影响非正式住区，而这些非正式住区是 SSA 城市人口的主要居住地。受气候导致的水资源压力、不完善的体制、无效的治理以及解决稀缺问题和调解未来供应不确定性方面的薄弱政治意愿的影响，水资源的分配和配置将受到影响。尽管许多科学家已经尝试研究水资源短缺和城市人口动态的不同方面，但很少有全面的综述，特别是针对撒哈拉以南非洲的具体情况。本文通过提炼和整合有关 SSA 城市动态和水问题的相关实证知识，为城市供水的跨学科理解做出了贡献，重点介绍了所取得的进展和相关挑战。然后，它指出了未来的研究方向，包括需要了解替代集中供水政策的方法如何帮助该地区的城市和非正式住区实现可持续的供水。
