The situation of access to clean water and sanitation in Africa is extremely challenging. Urban areas are facing a host of challenges due to their rapid growth in recent years (The Water Project). The accelerated growth of urbanisation and therefore the monumental increase in people residing in cities has amplified the demand for accessible water and sanitation services. In much of the literature surrounding this topic it has been argued that the provision of basic services such as access to clean water and sanitation has not kept pace with this urban growth and therefore this has caused problems for those living in the urban areas. One of the main amenities that has been unable to keep pace with the rate of urbanisation, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa is that of the development of wastewater management systems. This has led to the pollution of sources of natural water, which those residing in area, rely on, causing adverse effects in terms of health. Drinking the polluted water can lead to water-related, diarrhoeal diseases, which is a problem not only in Africa but all over the world with 1 billion cases of water-related, diarrhoeal diseases each year, involving 3 to 4 million deaths in which most are children each year (WHO 2000).  Clearly this is an issue which needs to be addressed and over the next few weeks I hope to explore the different strategies and systems that are being developed to comeback the pollution of these water bodies in Africa.

Urbanisation is the process by which the number of people residing in towns and cities increases compared to the number living in rural areas. The process is rapidly growing in both the developed and developing world. The proportion of the World’s urban population is expected to increase about 57% by 2050 from 47% in 2000. More than 90% of projected population growth will be accounted for by the large cities in the developing countries.

In the developing world, the continent of Africa has experienced the highest urban growth during the last two decades at 3.5% per year and this rate is projected to continue to 2050. Projections also indicate that between 2010 and 2025 some African cities will account for up to 85% of the population. For example the city of Lagos which is the capital of Nigeria has surpassed Cairo in size, with a population estimated at around 21million and has been described as the centre of one of the largest urban areas in the world. The rate at which this city has grown is stupendous with a population of 1.4million in 1970.

Urbanisation is one of the world’s most critical issues. In Africa, it is raising significant challenges for the delivery of basic services such as water and sanitation, which I will be trying to investigate through the development of my blog.