The Impacts of Water Scarcity on the Prospects for Poverty Alleviation, and the Role of Development Aid in this
Author
Rasmussen, Britt Debes
Term
4. term
Publication year
2009
Pages
75
Abstract
Vandmangel rammer mennesker over hele verden og rammer de ekstremt fattige i Afrika syd for Sahara særligt hårdt. Klimaforandringer forventes at forværre manglen, gøre landbrug sværere og øge antallet af naturkatastrofer. Denne afhandling spørger, hvordan de fattigste kan klare sig, og om udviklingsbistand kan forhindre, at vandmangel forværrer ekstrem fattigdom og relaterede sikkerhedsrisici. Den undersøger sammenhængen mellem vandmangel og mulighederne for fattigdomsbekæmpelse samt bistandens rolle. Det er vanskeligt at måle disse effekter og bistandens betydning, og det afhænger delvist af, hvad forskellige aktører anser for acceptable niveauer af mangel og afsavn. Afhandlingen fremhæver, at vandmangel er central for problemer som sygdom, konflikter, slumdannelse og – vigtigst – fødevareproduktion og udvikling. Den genovervejer teorier om fattigdomsreduktion og finder, at bistand ofte fokuserer for meget på økonomisk vækst frem for basale behov som rent drikkevand og nærende mad. Analysen tyder på, at selv om der er fysisk vandmangel i nogle fattige lande, har store dele af Afrika syd for Sahara vandressourcer, som er svære at udnytte, fordi lokalsamfund mangler midler til brønde og kunstvanding. Trods mange mennesker uden adgang til rent vand og sanitet (afhandlingen nævner 1,1 millioner uden rent vand og 2,6 millioner uden basal sanitet) er vand sjældent en prioritet i mange bistandsbudgetter eller i mål som Millennium Development Goals, hvor vand og sanitet kun nævnes kort. Afhandlingen mener, at advarsler fra Lester R. Brown og ICCP-fremskrivninger fortjener seriøs opmærksomhed. Den konkluderer, at det er i alles interesse at forebygge den vandmangel-drevne eskalation af ekstrem fattigdom, fordi omkostningerne ved ureguleret migration, epidemier, klimarelaterede katastrofer, konflikter samt fødevare- og vandmangel er højere end at investere nu i vandadgang og fattigdomsbekæmpelse.
Water scarcity affects people worldwide and hits the extremely poor in sub-Saharan Africa especially hard. Climate change is expected to worsen shortages, make farming more difficult, and increase natural disasters. This thesis asks how the poorest can cope and whether development aid can prevent water scarcity from deepening extreme poverty and related security risks. It examines the link between water scarcity and prospects for poverty alleviation, and the role aid plays. Measuring these effects and the role of aid is challenging and partly depends on what different audiences consider acceptable levels of scarcity and deprivation. The thesis argues that water scarcity is central to issues such as disease, conflict, the growth of slums, and—most importantly—food production and development. It revisits theories of poverty reduction and finds that aid often focuses too much on economic growth instead of basic needs like safe drinking water and nutritious food. Its analysis suggests that while physical water shortages exist in some poor countries, much of sub-Saharan Africa has water resources that are hard to access because communities lack funds for wells and irrigation. Despite many people lacking safe water and sanitation (the thesis cites 1.1 million without clean water and 2.6 million without basic sanitation), water is not a priority in many aid budgets or in goals like the Millennium Development Goals, where water and sanitation are only briefly mentioned. The thesis contends that warnings by Lester R. Brown and ICCP projections deserve serious attention. It concludes that preventing the escalation of extreme poverty caused by water scarcity is in everyone’s interest, because the costs of unmanaged migration, epidemics, climate-related disasters, conflicts, and food and water shortages are higher than investing now in water access and poverty alleviation.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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