Water Scarcity, Groundwater and Gender Inequalities

Welcome back! In this entry, I will go into further detail about the water situation at hand by exploring water scarcity and groundwater and the different ways in which men and women interact with this water resource. I hope to capture the essence of how complex this premise is. 

Water’s importance in the development of communities is undeniable. Often time in we forget its significance as it is such a readily available resource in the UK for the most part. But, this forgetfulness doesn’t apply to every country. Water can be a source of conflict and inequality in countries where there is water scarcity, with some of those places being situated in some countries in Africa. 

As mentioned before, Africa’s water situation is a case of distribution rather than supply. In this, water scarcity metrics have been devised and updated in order to conceptualise the differential access to water among the countries in Africa. The most commonly used metric is the WSI as established by Falkenmark which considers purely physical factors. Damkjaer and Taylor alongside many other scholars over the years have urged for a more holistic and well-rounded definition that take socio-economic factors into consideration in relation to the shortage of water availability compared to demand. This then produces varying ideas of water scarcity in different countries, as seen in the table. Many factors can contribute to changes in water scarcity from country to country such as global warming, ENSO cycles, rainfall, different rates of recharge, but also differences in the development of water infrastructure, poverty and urban sprawl. Thus, different geographical locations feel these factors differently. It is important to note that these metrics consider mean annual river runoff levels, and so they fail to consider interannual and seasonal variability in rainfall which impacts groundwater levels. When looking at groundwater, it is vital to consider its availability as its extraction is widely used more so in rural areas for domestic uses through aquifers, boreholes and wells. There can be different rates recharge of at the site of these groundwater extraction methods. Subsequently, this alters the availability of water between countries in Africa. 

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Source (click on the image to see it clearer)

In this, these factors at play can knock-on impacts on gender inequalities. Cultural norms are prevalent in the way in which water resources that are externally collected are interacted with. Women are found to have the burden of collecting and using groundwater resources to support the family. Conversely, men take a more administrative and political role in the management of water resources. 

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Looking particularly in the case of Malawi, there is an abundant source of groundwater and high recharge which is also illustrated in the figures. According to the widely used WSI, the country has endured water scarcity over the years. Equal gender participation then consequently remains a challenge where decentralised water sources occur as a result of micro-politics, differential power relations and women self-exclusion. These appear to stem from deep-rooted cultural norms. Although, efforts have been made in order to even out the participation in water governance and usage of water resources through participatory techniques. These have fallen short, which I think truly highlights how complexly intertwined the connections between water and gender are. This also reflects how development in countries in Africa has suffered as a result. 

In my next few blog posts, I aim to look at the implications this inequality of usage and management has had on women in particular. I hope to delve into the burden women face in collecting water, WASH, menstruation, and gender-based violence.