I've never hunted in Africa, although I've been there (Kenya, Ivory Coast, Egypt), but it was some years ago (early to mid 1980s).

To those of you who have been going there regularly: I've been reading recently that there is a growing severe shortage of water in Africa. Have you found this to be true, and if so is it hurting game populations and hunting?

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Hello LE270,
You need to be more specific...

Its the second biggest continent, its like commenting about water in NA (Mex, US and Can all together), only larger. Like any place, some areas are definately under threat from water over extraction and pollution.

As you well know, there are many very dry areas where people traditionally moved to cope with environmental change. They do so less now and also try farm dry areas (often with success but only over the very short term due to soil damage and wrongly influenced techniques).

Even in SA for example, which is a dry country, many southern coastal and eastern areas have good rainfall, but the north, west and interior are very dry, limiting what can be done there in terms of sustainable agric, industry and urbanization.

No different to the dry and over used water resources in the western US - and even places like Alberta, where current trends spell major problems within the next two decades.

The problem is global and for now very localized or regional, just about everywhere (Asia is also having some serious issues - India and China).

ITO Africa again, game may be affected from competiton for water, or on ranch style set ups, too much water can swing species composition and change habitat. Drought is part of what happens but obviously certain changes now are being more detrimental - game still does better the useless cattle, although often takes a back seat

Water pollution in parts of Africa is also a problem. However, drinking bottled water is not always a sign of a major water problem, but a problem of reticulation and provision. For example, in the Ecuadorian Amazon (rain forest - wet!) towns it was best to drink bottled water. Lower mainland BC areas often have boiled water advisories in the spring -definately not due to lack, its pretty wet too, but due to provision and handling over load from spring melt levels.

Its a hell of a complex answer to give, as I said, its very diverse.

Look at these:

www.dwaf.gov.za
www.randwater.co.za
www.umgeni.co.za
www.irn.org
www.dams.org

They may answer some of your questions about African water.

An interesting guy is Dr. Schindler at U of Alberta (www.ualberta.ca) who is a highly respected water scientist in Canada/NA.

Cheers

Hunted the Selous for 21 days July 24 thru Aug 14... Dead of winter and had 10 straight days of showers and three night time downpours for hours... Grass short at 5 feet and some over 10 feet...

Mike

My people in Namibia say it is unusually wet and greener than it has been for years in their area. Africa is a big place, water will vary quite a lot locally, just as it does here.

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Hi ALF,

I do realise that! You live in the far North right, it is obviously a LOT wetter than SA as is most of BC (barring some of the interior, which people always tell me is the desert??), as I mentioned, regarding huge water levels in the spring...I have spent a fair share of time on BC waters, albeit not as far north as you!

You are right, no where in SA is a true desert at all, but most of the country is quite dry, as you know. The water 'needs' of the respective environments as you pointed out are TOTALLY different, boreal forest is reliant of muskeg and wetland (and beaver induced change to facilitate different habitat and the resulting nutrient cycling).

yep el nino is 'bad', right now its all going guns at home though and my kayaks are is frozen right now!!!

PS..If ever you are in Edmonton, visit Mil-Arm, he has some awesome old military Mausers, many from the Boer war and other arms collectable/historic arms too!

Cheers

I helped manage a place near Mica and remember in 1998 eauthanasing warthogs due to drought!