WaterAid to improve water management services across African drought-prone communities

International non-profit organisation WaterAid plans to support water management activities in 29 drought-prone communities in western Africa to help them be prepared for drought.

The organisation will help the communities to cope with harsh conditions, including rising demand for potable water, environmental degradation and variation of climate.

Management of the local water resources is also expected to ensure availability of sufficient water for everyday purposes, such as drinking, bathing, laundry, cleaning and watering plants.

The organisation has received a grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, which will be used to train community observers for collection, recording, storage and presentation of water supply data to mostly illiterate members of the communities.

The communities at present face severe complexities, including high levels of poverty, recurrent complex emergencies, insecurity of food resources, cyclical drought, seasonal floods, disease outbreaks and rapidly changing land use.

Besides affecting livelihoods and agricultural production, the natural disasters in the region have destroyed water supply infrastructure and latrines.

WaterAid America CEO Sarina Prabasi said: "Similar to many places where WaterAid works, west Africa is disproportionately affected by disasters including droughts, floods, famine, cholera and, most recently, Ebola.

"WaterAid is pleased to be able to support local communities to better cope with natural disasters by bolstering water and sanitation infrastructure, improving preparedness and preventing the spread of deadly diseases, including potentially diarrhoea."

WaterAid also has plans to support the local leaders in Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, ensuring the presence of necessary skills and tools for analysing available data and to train them for thorough assessment of potential water threats for the community.