Key Issues

1. Very little water storage exists in Africa. Average storage capacity is only about 200 m³/person/year compared to nearly 6000 m³/person/year in North America. This results in poverty and health issues as well as low access to electricity (hydropower), low development of water resources (5%) and agriculture (low yields and crop failures).
2. High cost of water storage facilities.
3. Less reliable and resilient and more vulnerable storage systems in the face of climate change (extreme weather events are increasing – with floods and droughts resulting in too much or not enough water).
4. Lack of planning and design of water storage systems for multiple purposes resulting in water quantity and quality issues.
5. Women in charge of water collection who spend a lot of time to fetch water from long distances.

Recommendations

1. Need to rethink water storage for development and climate change adaptation. A more integrated approach across a range of levels and scales with much greater consideration of the full range of possible options.
2. Combine complementary storage options (large, middle size and small dams, ponds, lakes, deep and shallow groundwater, wetlands, soil moisture).
3. Conduct systematic planning and management of multipurpose water storage (for irrigation, hydropower, water supply, sanitation, groundwater recharge and environment).
4. Harmonize policies from different sectors (agriculture, water supply and energy) when designing water storage.
5. Consider virtual water storage and how to balance imports and exports of products.

At small scale:

1.  Plan and design rainwater-harvesting systems at household level (using tanks, ponds,) for multiple-use water services. By planning for these multiple uses (domestic (drinking,) and productive purposes (irrigation, cattle, etc.)), many more benefits from investments in infrastructure can be realized: health, freedom from domestic chores, food and income and gender equity.
2. Sensitize and promote rainwater harvesting systems.
3. Provide subsidies for storage facilities.
4. Raise awareness to storage options and issues.
5. Properly manage soil moisture storage for agriculture purposes (through soil and water conservation systems and practices).
6. Enhance and protect storage in ecosystems (natural wetlands, swamps, lakes, etc.).
7. Train women entrepreneurs to build and manage water storage systems.
8. Establish at village level micro-finance systems to install water storage facilities for multiple purposes (productive and domestic uses).
9. Develop and promote low cost material for water storage.
10. Adopt policies and technologies which will enable women to properly store water.

At large scale:

1. There is a suite of storage options available. Promote storage ‘systems’ that combine and build on complementarities of different storage types (large, middle size and small dams, ponds, lakes, deep and shallow groundwater, wetlands, soil moisture)
2. Promote water storage in aquifers using rainwater and reclaimed water of adequate quality wherever feasible.