Urbanisation and the water challenge in Africa: Mapping out orders of water scarcity

Water scarcity has featured prominently in the policy discourses, especially at the United Nations level. This is in response to the growing pressure exerted on water resources by the rising global population against renewable but finite water resources. This challenge is acutely manifested in low income countries in Africa, where the rate at which the urban population is growing has outstripped the capacity of water services providers to accommodate all residents at an adequate and sustainable level. However, the dominant discourse on water scarcity has focused on the deteriorating water availability in the natural environment, paying less attention to other forms of scarcity, particularly the socially induced ones. This article takes a broader approach to the concept of water scarcity to mapout the different orders of water scarcity. By categorising scarcity into four different types (orders), it illustrates that while first order scarcity is a result of natural lack of water, the other three orders of scarcity are human and socially induced. This approach highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of water scarcity to enable effective planning for water resource use and service management. By highlighting the different dimensions of water scarcity, the article aims to make a contribution to the debates on sustainable management and use of water resources.