Groundwater and the discourse of shortage in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The perception of a global crisis of groundwater over-abstraction and pollution is assumed to include Sub-Saharan Africa, a region where groundwater resources are on average greatly under-utilized. This perception of crisis contributes to a “discourse of shortage” which in turn has led to a neglect of the potential role of groundwater to support irrigation, water security and economic growth and is underpinned by beliefs about the availability of the resource itself. However, examples from southern Africa suggest that it is the absence of the services needed to support groundwater development (including energy, drilling and pumping equipment, hard and soft infrastructure, physical access, finance and credit, and institutional support) that are the real constraint. These are likely to be more important than average hydrogeological potential in determining the viability of groundwater supplies, and examples suggest that when these factors are in place, higher-yielding sources tend to be found and developed. Rather than consider the interlinkages between these elements, a discourse of shortage in Sub-Saharan Africa appears to take precedence. Sub-genres including the village-level discourse, the transboundary discourse, and the sustainability discourse are also identified, and these are likely to reinforce the idea of shortage. The policy impact of these more dominant narratives may retard progress towards a much-needed structural change in economic activity enabled by increased agricultural production, resilience and water security.