The continent has significant water resources. However it lacks distribution and sanitation infrastructure that would allow people to access clean water. Paradox expressed via this map.

In the basement, the African continent has 660,000 cubic kilometers of water supplies. This resource is one hundred times the amount of water on the surface. Yet, 330 million Africans, 40% of the population lack

access to safe drinking water, said the Spanish newspaper El Pais. According to figures from the African Development Bank, Africa would have to spend the equivalent of 11.5 billion euros a year to create or strengthen distribution and sanitation. And if water exists, some layers are buried deep, making it difficult and expensive any digging project.

 The graph below shows as well as huge slicks in the Saharan zones are located at a depth of over 50 meters. These include waters «fossil» very old (millions of years), but which are not repeated.

Access to clean water becomes more acute than urban populations are growing rapidly. The percentage of urban dwellers is expected to increase from 44 to 57% between 2010 and 2040, according to the African Water Association. But large inequalities between major cities in the water supply of the inhabitants [see chart]. While Cairo (17.6 million inhabitants) has a supply rate of 95%, a city like Lagos (Nigeria’s economic capital) with a population of between 15 and 17 million people provides water less than 65% of its citizens.

The UN has included in its program called Millennium Goals, access to drinking water to 80% of the world population.

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