Introduction

Water is a fundamental part of our everyday lives. Domestically, we use water for drinking, cooking and hygiene, and having enough water is crucial in ensuring good health and well-being (Howard et al., 2020). At the same time, water is an essential element of food production and industrial activities. Unfortunately, around two billion people across the globe are currently living under water scarcity (Stringer et al., 2021), which refers to an insufficient freshwater supply to meet the demand, as well as low accessibility to safe and affordable water (Tzanakakis et al., 2020, Rijsberman, 2005). Water scarcity is prominent in many African countries; over two thirds of the African population is experiencing water scarcity (Falkenmark, 1989). This is partly due to arid climate in some regions (physical water scarcity), but more so because of large populations and poor water infrastructure (economic water scarcity) (African Climate Policy Centre, 2013; Damkjaer and Taylor, 2017). 

Water scarcity in Africa in 2007 (Damkjaer and Taylor, 2017).

It is no surprise that global warming is an increasingly pressing issue. Under climate change, precipitation and river discharge patterns are altered, extreme weather events become more prevalent (Frederick and Major, 1997). Africa is especially vulnerable to climate change, as it heavily relies on agriculture for its food supply and economic growth. It is projected that the area of arid and semi-arid land in Africa will grow by 5 to 8% by 2080, resulting in a 60 to 90 million-hectare decrease of agriculturally productive land (Hope, 2009), further threatening food security and worsening poverty.

Therefore, through this series of blogs, I hope to explore water and environmental change in Africa, using the Senegal River Basin (SRB) as a case study. I am focusing on the SRB because the region has experienced stark climate change over the past century, and at the same time it is undergoing extremely rapid population growth and urbanization (Varis and Sylvie, 2002). In the upcoming weeks, I will be posting about future projections of water trends in the SRB from a hydrological modelling point of view, and I will also be looking at the social and environmental implications of those projections. Moreover, I will be discussing some of the adaptation strategies that the SRB has adopted in response to climate change.