Opinion: It's time to drop colonial water treaties in Africa
Harrison Mwilima
Commentary
March 22, 2021
African countries need to stop using colonial-era treaties to hoard water resources. Instead, states need to focus on sustainable water management to mitigate the impacts of climate change, says DW's Harrison Mwilima.
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With one in three Africans currently facing water scarcity, no good can come from hoarding resourcesImage: Getty Images/AFP/M. Abdiwahab
As we mark World Water Day, I would like to take this time to remind African countries to stop taking advantage of colonial-era water agreements to benefit from shared water resources.
Instead, African countries need to pursue united strategies to combat looming water crises across the continent.
When colonial powers created the artificial borders of African countries, inland water bodies such as lakes and rivers were often used to mark these boundaries. In cases where a water source was shared by different countries, the colonial powers drew up their own agreements on how they would be used — without the consent of the people who were living in those territories.
Harrison Mwilima is a correspondent for DW's Kiswahili serviceImage: Carolin Seeliger
When the wave of independence swept the continent, African countries decided to retain those inherited borders. However, today, this means interstate tensions often arise whenever resources are discovered or become scarce in these shared water bodies. In such situations, the water agreements drawn up by the former colonial powers are used by some countries for their own gains.
Africa's longest river, the Nile —which flows through 11 African countries — is the source of the most recent water tensions. Egypt and Sudan want to preserve colonial agreements drawn up by Britain that allocate the Nile's water to the two countries and also grant Egypt power to veto any river projects.
However, in 2011 Ethiopia announced plans to construct a massive hydroelectric dam. When Ethiopia announced in 2020 that it had started filling the dam with water from the Nile, Egypt cried foul, arguing that Ethiopia needed to comply with the colonial water treaties. Ethiopia, meanwhile, maintains it is entitled to the shared use of the Nile's water.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project has sparked tensions between African states over colonial-era water agreementsImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Maxar Technologies
Colonial water agreements have also led to a dispute over a shared lake between Tanzania and Malawi — known as Lake Nyasa to Tanzanians and Lake Malawi to Malawians. The discovery of oil and gas in 2011 brought an Anglo-German treaty signed in 1890 back to the fore. The treaty allows Malawi — which, back then, was a British protectorate under the name of Nyasaland — exclusive rights to use of the lake. However, Tanzania claims the lake should be a shared resource in accordance with international law.
These are just two examples of many showing how easily colonial-era treaties can spark water conflicts between African countries. But while both sides bicker over who is entitled to what, it's crucial to remember that many African counties are at high risk of water scarcity. Climate change has left the continent even more vulnerable to droughts and floods. One in three people across Africa already doesn't have sufficient access to water supplies.
To tackle these challenges, African governments need to come together and think beyond the needs of individual states. Playing the colonial card to secure access to water resources does nothing to mitigate the water challenges African countries are facing — and will continue to face in decades to come.
What we need now is the sustainable management of water resources, so that the water needs of today's population can be met, without jeopardizing water security for future generations.
World water conflicts: The global hot spots
When added to existing conflicts or tense relations, water can be an accelerant. DW looks at six countries grappling with water disputes, worsened by climate change and mismanagement.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/H. Hamdani
Water conflicts worldwide
Water conflicts have more than doubled over the last 10 years compared to previous decades, research shows. Sometimes the essential resource is at the root of these clashes but more often than not, disputes over water alone will not spark violence. Instead, water can act as an accelerant when mixed together with other problems, such as poverty, inequality and hunger.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/H.M. Ali
Iran's multiple water disputes
Population growth, urbanization, poor infrastructure and governance have been driving water tensions in Iran. But the country has also seen discord with Afghanistan over how to share the Helmand River's waters. Iran is concerned about its neighbor's Kamal Khan Dam, which opened in 2021, as it will restrict water flow to one of its provinces. Some fear the dispute could turn violent.
Image: Isna
Pakistan's tireless fight over water with India
The Indus river, shared by India and Pakistan, has long been a point of contention. The countries divided up the rights to the river and its tributaries in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. But tensions have flared recently. Pakistan says India has stopped water flowing into the Islamic Republic and accuses its neighbor of using water as a weapon in the ongoing dispute over Kashmir.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Tabassum
India's water woes
India's water crisis spans from its ongoing conflict over the Indus river with Pakistan to droughts that have repeatedly caused severe water shortages across the country. Delayed monsoon rains have recently added to the crisis, with estimates showing that 40% of India's population may not have access to drinking water by 2030.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Karel
Nigeria faces ongoing water challenges
Water-related violence in Nigeria is responsible for more casualties than militant Islamist group Boko Haram. In the country's north, where the group has been waging war since 2010, they're also demanding the government provide clean water. Elsewhere, a lack of rain in their own grazing areas, is causing Muslim Fulani herders to move onto land owned by Christian farmers, leading to clashes.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Adelakun
Violent water tensions in Mali
In Mali, farmers and herders have been fighting over scarce water and land resources, against a backdrop of ethnic tensions, armed groups and population rise. In 2019, a combination of these factors led to mass killings in the Inner Niger Delta, a central Malian wetland. Government plans to build dams that may affect over a million farmers, herders and fishers in the Delta could make things worse.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Bothma
Iraq's multifaceted water crisis
Iraq's ongoing water crisis is complex. Droughts, decreasing annual rainfall, changing weather patterns and pollution all play a role. The state has faced repeated criticism over its failure to properly manage water resources and further destabilizing the country. In late 2019, Iraq's prime minister resigned amid mass protests, partly over lack of access to electricity and clean water.
