Water Resource Availability and Quality in the North Africa Region Under Climate Change

Enhancing community well-being in African drylands through technology-based solutions in the water–energy–food–ecosystems nexus

“…16 Northern Africa is the most arid sub-region in Africa, characterized by extremely limited water resources and a rainfall that ranges annually between 50 and 1000 mm in the southern and the north-western areas, respectively. 17…”

“…17 For instance, more than a third of Tunisia's wastewater treatment facilities offer irrigation to farmland or recharge aquifers in regions experiencing excessive groundwater extraction. 17,62…”

“…rainfall that ranges annually between 50 and 1000 mm in the southern and the north-western areas, respectively. 17 Some countries predominantly comprise drylands, such as South Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, and Botswana, while others, including Northern African countries, Kenya, Ghana, and Namibia, have substantial dryland parts that occupy a part of their total land area. 18 Per the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 19 droughts are projected to occur more frequently over the next decades, exacerbating existing water scarcity issues across the continent.…”

“…Moreover, it is influenced by technology accessibility and availability across all sectors and levels, ranging from local to national. 17 However, the implementation and the development of the technology remain constrained and hindered by insufficient resources and limited knowledge in several African countries.…”

“…61 Reusing reclaimed water has been integrated into the National Water Resources Strategy of a number of dryland countries in Africa, particularly those in the northern part. 17 For instance, more than a third of Tunisia's wastewater treatment facilities offer irrigation to farmland or recharge aquifers in regions experiencing excessive groundwater extraction. 17,62 However, a significant difficulty continues to be the lack of maintenance that caused many wastewater treatment plants to stop operating.…”