"Water Refugees" Likely Next Wave Of African Displaced People - Reuters

LONDON (AlertNet) - Climate change is expected to shrink many African rivers dramatically, triggering massive refugee movements and even war, according to scientists at the Africa Earth Observatory Network.

Researchers calculate that a predicted drop in rainfall will significantly reduce water supplies across a quarter of Africa by the end of this century, in a study published in the journal Science. “Future climate change poses one of the greatest threats to poverty eradication on this continent, and related changes in surface water supply will exacerbate this,” they warn.

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The study highlights two areas likely to suffer most from reduced access to water: southern Africa and the Sahel strip stretching from Senegal to Sudan. In southern Africa, areas near Cape Town are predicted to be hit hardest by an expected 20 percent drop in rainfall by 2070, reducing perennial water supply by nearly 60 percent. “This region is South Africa’s bread basket. People in Cape Town have not seen figures like this before, and I think they are quite frightened,” said de Wit.

The upper reaches of the Orange River in southeast Africa are also forecast to experience strong to moderate decreases in water supply. This would have a knock-on effect in southwest Africa, because the river is one of the area’s key sources of water. Today this region is experiencing its biggest drought in over 100 years.


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http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/114303555233.htm