Wonder how many lives we could save by spending a few building dollars on irrigation projects in Africa?http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0163930.htm
NAIROBI, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Scientists warned on Sunday that growing water shortages across Africa could drive the continent into greater reliance on food aid over the next two decades.
Issuing their warning ahead of a water conference in Nairobi, experts said that by 2025 as many as 523 million people in Africa may be without access to clean water, while farmers would not have enough water for their crops.
The shortages in Africa are part of a global trend in increasing water consumption, but the increase in household water consumption on the continent will be proportionally the highest of any region in the world.
Africa will face a 23 percent shortfall in crop yields due to insufficient water supplies, while cereal imports will have to more than triple to 35 million tons in the next 23 years to keep pace with demand, increasing reliance on food aid, the experts said.
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