Water Scarcity and its Impact on African Girls

Climate change exacerbates water scarcity and water-related hazards (such as floods and droughts), as rising temperatures disrupt precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle (UN).

According to the United Nations, due to extreme climate conditions in Western and Eastern Africa, water scarcity and droughts remain prevailing issues impacting women and girls.

Water insecurity is not only a global crisis; it is, more specifically, a woman crisis. Sadly, due to their subordinate role in these societies, women and girls are tasked with retrieving water in water-deprived communities. UN Water estimates that women and girls are responsible for water collection in 8 out of 10 households where the water source is off-premises. Some estimates indicate they spend about 200 million hours collecting water daily. In most cases, these water sources are miles away from their homes.

The problem is escalating. According to UNICEF, in 2022, there was an 88% increase in household water insecurity in the Horn of Africa, which includes Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Not only is this problem an atrociously time-consuming task, but it is also a severe detriment to women’s progress. Women’s health challenges from lack of access to water and sanitation are well-documented. In addition, women and girls face a significant risk of assault walking back and forth from the off-premises water sources.

This significant, time-consuming task also negatively impacts girls’ access to education. Since most teenage girls spend their days ‘fetching’ water, they may be late for school. In some extreme cases, they cannot attend school, especially in societies that do not value girl-child education. Hence, lack of access to water contributes to (or perpetuates) the cycle of un-education for girls. This impact on girls' education continues to make girls less self-reliant and independent. Unfortunately, according to UN Water, fewer than 50 countries have laws or policies that specifically mention women’s participation in rural sanitation or water resources management, resulting in continued marginalization.

Even as important as this topic is, the world turns a blind eye to this issue. Access to water and sanitation is a human and woman rights that is continually violated by governments worldwide. Where females cannot enjoy these fundamental rights, their health is immensely affected, limiting their educational and economic opportunities and denying them their full societal role.

The world must focus on this issue. Civil society organizations should collaborate to bring attention to this issue. Water should not be a reason for denying girls their place in society.

Sources

Sudan’s water crisis and the women fighting back

Water Scarcity in Africa: Everything You Need to Know

Water and Gender

'Water crisis in the Horn has devastating impact on women and girls' – WaterAid

Water – at the center of the climate crisis