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Assuring Water Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Resulting from Climate and Land Management Change

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2022) | Viewed by 11752

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Joerg Helmschrot

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Guest Editor

Stellenbosch University Water Institute, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa
Interests: water security; water risk management; integrated water resources management; catchment hydrology; wetlands; climate change impact; adaptation and mitigation

Prof. Dr. Gabriel Miguel

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Geology Teaching and Research of Natural Science Faculty of Agostinho Neto University, Avenida 4 de Fevereiro nr. 71, Luanda, Angola
2. Vice-chair of the Board of Directors of SASSCAL
Interests: hydrogeology (hydrogeological assessment and cartography; assessment of groundwater resources; design of protection perimeters for groundwater); climate change impact; adaptation and mitigation

Dr. Willem Petrus de Clercq

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Guest Editor

Water Institute, Faculties of Science and AgriScience, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
Interests: WEEF nexus; agro-hydrology; dryland salinity; erosion; precision agriculture; Climate Change Impact; collaborative governance for water; water stewardship; water pollution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent projections on population growth and associated growing water demands in combination with climate change reemphasise the vulnerability of large regions of the African continent to global change with increasing risks to ensure water security across the continent. Additional human drivers such as a general lack of understanding of the hydrological response to climate change changes in land management, degradation of ecosystems, water pollution, ageing and insufficient water infrastructures and immature water governance across the continent exaggerate the risk for Africa’s future water security and, by this, its socioeconomic development.

A challenge to understand the dimension of water-related risks for cultural and socioeconomic development and to inform policy makers in support of developing adaptive capacities and science-supported responses in Sub-Saharan Africa is the limited understanding of current and future water availability, mainly due to underdeveloped observational networks, an immature water research and education sector and barely existing water science and policy interaction.

With a wide scope of papers, we invite authors to submit manuscripts addressing existing and planned observation efforts, research on climate and land management change impact on water resources, water economics and governance, water risk planning and responses, as well as general articles contributing to a better understanding of the biophysical, economic, social, cultural, technological and institutional drivers and barriers of current and future water security in Sub-Saharan Africa. We further intend to present case studies contributing to the global discussion on water security risks and their management in Africa and to inform policy makers at national, continental and global level with a strong emphasis on novel and innovative technologies in support of sustainable water resource management.

The goal of this Special Issue is to present studies showing innovative approaches contributing to a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to the assessment and sustainable management of limited water resources and associated risks at national, regional and continental scale. Special consideration will be given to papers highlighting the uptake of these activities to support decision making.

Presenting the latest achievements in water research, education or policy on the African continent, authors are invited to submit scientific and technical papers, overview and status papers, research and data briefs and other manuscripts related to the following topics:

Observational networks (Africa and global)
Observation technologies and their application towards sustainability and global change
Hydrological data availability and quality towards predictions
Hydrological modelling and prediction
Hydrological extremes
Hydrogeological assessment and mapping
Isotopic hydrology
Water risk assessment and management
Innovative technologies to enhance integrated water resources management
Water-related national and regional planning and policies
Water governance and water economics
Water science and policy dialogue
Water diplomacy
Water, food, energy, environment interaction with the focus on water
Water and human health interaction
Water in the perspective of SDG framework goals

We would like to particularly encourage researchers and practitioners to submit manuscripts originated in or jointly developed by African institutions. Early career scientists from Africa are particularly encouraged to submit manuscripts to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Joerg Helmschrot
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Miguel
Dr. Willem Petrus de Clercq
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

water security
water resources management
sustainability
global change
water education
water economics
water governance
water conflicts
Africa

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4458 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward the Sustainable Use of Groundwater Springs: A Case Study from Namibia

by Fanny Soetaert, Heike Wanke, Alain Dupuy, Vanessa Lusuekikio, Eric C. Gaucher, Vincent Bordmann, Jean-Marc Fleury and Michel Franceschi

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3995; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073995 - 28 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2519

Abstract

The water supply in drylands mainly relies on groundwater, making it a crucial resource. Springs in southern Africa are often underutilized, and are neither protected nor monitored. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate their quality in a sample area in northwestern Namibia and to propose solutions for the sustainable use of springs. In total, 35 springs and hot springs were evaluated in the study area located in the drier part of Namibia (P_mean = 150–400 mm/year), an area highly impacted by ongoing climate change with longer and more frequent drought seasons. The springs there are mostly uncaptured and the discharge is in the form of surface runoff, which is mainly lost to the atmosphere by evaporation. Most of the studied springs were perennial, despite a severe drought period. Local communities rely on the springs mainly for livestock and human consumption, as well as for irrigation. However, 71% of the springs do not have any protective measures. The temperature, pH, conductivity and alkalinity were tested in situ. In total, 20 samples were collected and analyzed for major ions (boron, fluoride, silica and strontium) and total dissolved solids (TDS). The physical and inorganic results mostly indicated good and excellent quality water for human consumption, while the hot springs tended to have poor water quality in terms of Namibian standards, indicating that the water was not fit for human consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assuring Water Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Resulting from Climate and Land Management Change)

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26 pages, 8130 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determining Hydrological Variability Using a Multi-Catchment Model Approach for the Western Cape, South Africa

by Andrew Watson, Guy Midgley, Annika Künne, Sven Kralisch and Jörg Helmschrot

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 14058; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132414058 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2968

Abstract

Understanding the impacts of climate change requires the development of hydrological modelling tools. However, data scarcity hinders model application, performance, process simulation and uncertainty, especially for Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, a multi-catchment approach was used to assess hydrological process variability in the Western Cape (WC) of South Africa using the JAMS/J2000 rainfall–runoff model and a Monte Carlo analysis (MCA). Due to much steeper slopes and lower evapotranspiration, the models suggest that WC is dominated by surface runoff from mountainous regions and regional groundwater flow. The results highlight the impact of the catchment size, availability and position of hydroclimatic and anthropogenic factors and the frequency of the signal-to-noise ratio (water balance). For large catchments (>5000 km²), the calibration was able to achieve a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.61 to 0.88. For small catchments (<2000 km²), NSE was between 0.23 to 0.39. The large catchments had an overall surface runoff, interflow and baseflow contribution of 44, 19 and 37%, respectively, and lower overall uncertainty. The simulated flow components for the small catchments were variable and these results are less certain. The use of a multi-catchment approach allows for identifying the specific factors impacting parameter sensitivities and in turn provides a means to improve hydrological process simulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assuring Water Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Resulting from Climate and Land Management Change)

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21 pages, 4574 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on the Hydroclimatic Response in Burundi Based on CMIP6 ESMs

by Jeong-Bae Kim, Jean de Dieu Habimana, Seon-Ho Kim and Deg-Hyo Bae

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12037; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112037 - 31 Oct 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2943

Abstract

Burundi is susceptible to future water-related disasters, but examining the influence of climate change on regional hydroclimatic features is challenging due to a lack of local data and adaptation planning. This study investigated the influence of climate change on hydroclimate-focused changes in the climatology of heavy precipitation (and streamflow) means and extremes based on the multi-model ensemble mean of earth system models in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). For runoff analysis, hydrologic responses to future climate conditions were simulated using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model over the Ruvubu River basin, Burundi. Temperature increases by 5.6 °C, with strong robustness, under future climate conditions. The mean annual precipitation (and runoff) undergoes large seasonal variations, with weak robustness. Precipitation (and streamflow) changes between the wet and dry seasons differ in signal and magnitude. However, alterations in both the amount and frequency of precipitation reveal the intensification of the water cycle due to anthropogenic climate change. Thus, the highest variability in the maximum daily streamflow is shown in months of long wet seasons, especially in the far future (2085). Without considering the regional climate characteristics and shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenarios, this behavior is expected to be enhanced in 2085 (compared with 2045) and increase the severity of extreme precipitation and flood risk. Climate change will cause alterations in the magnitude and seasonal distributions of extreme precipitation (and streamflow). These findings could be important for flood planning and mitigation measures to cope with climate change in Burundi. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assuring Water Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Resulting from Climate and Land Management Change)

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Review

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18 pages, 648 KiB

Open AccessReview

Opportunities for the Scale-Up of Irrigation Systems in Ghana, West Africa

by Grace L. Baldwin and Robert M. Stwalley III

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8716; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148716 - 16 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2063

Abstract

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports approximately 1.9 million hectares (Mha) total of potential irrigatable lands in Ghana. However, the total water-managed area in the country was estimated to be only approximately 30,900 hectares (ha) in 2000 or 1.7% of the possible area. The government ultimately intends to add a total irrigatable area of 500,000 ha or more, thereby increasing the total coverage to 28% of the country’s potential. This would be beneficial because Ghana is not currently agriculturally independent and seeks to make substantial efforts in the scale-up of irrigation technologies to decrease the country’s reliance on the importation of agricultural goods. Unfortunately, the state of available technical literature for the very specific subject of agricultural water resources in a small African country is limited and generally only thinly published. A successful review of the published literature was conducted by expanding the search parameters until an adequate level of material became available to accurately describe the situation. The adaptive review process to access progressively more relevant information is presented in the methodology. The country’s total water withdrawal was quantified. The constraints on water resource development within Ghana’s socio-political environment were examined, and opportunities for technical improvement were identified. If well-managed, the country’s surface water and largely untapped groundwater systems are sufficient to meet most domestic and irrigation purposes. This analysis should provide significant aid to the government, non-governmental organizations, and aid agencies working to improve agricultural productivity via the scale-up of irrigation systems in Ghana and other similar countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assuring Water Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Resulting from Climate and Land Management Change)

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