Springer Hydrology and Water Resources of Africa: 41 (Water Science and Technology Library, 41)

Africa, the cradle of many old civilizations, is the second largest world continent, and the homeland of nearly one-eighth of the world population. Despite Africa’s richness in natural resources, the average income per person, after excluding a few countries, is the lowest all over the world, and the percentage of inhabitants infected with contagious diseases is the highest. Development of Africa to help accommodate the ever-increasing population and secure a reasonable living standard to all inhabitants, though an enormous challenge is extremely necessary. Water is the artery of life, without it all living creatures on earth cannot survive. As such, a thorough knowledge of the meteorological and hydrological processes influencing the yield and quality of the water resources, surface and subsurface, and their distribution and variability in time and space is unavoidable for the overall development of any part of the world. It is highly probable that the said knowledge is at present a top priority to Africa, a continent that has been for so long-and probably still-devastated by the endless ambitions of colonial powers not to forget the corruption and destruction practiced by the internal powers, at least in some countries. The present book “Hydrology and Water Resources of Africa” is written with the aim of bringing together in one volume a fair amount of knowledge any professional involved in hydrology and water resources of Africa needs to know. Review From the reviews: "Given the broad coverage of the hydrology and water resources of Africa, including its islands, this volume deserves much applause as a source of data. Summarizing the main points raised in each section, there is a valuable collection of the hydro-meteorological data in a series of tables and figures. Besides this, the enormous body of references, some of which are quite rare, is suggestive of an extensive background study. [....]This volume would appeal to researchers and professionals working in the fields of water and agricultural engineering, geosciences, African studies, and those interested in surface and groundwater resources in Africa. For quite a number of eningeering-based readers, who deal with the interface of hydrology and water resource, this book would prove very useful." (Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen, IWRA, Water International, 30:1, March 2005) "This study is the culmination of the author’s long career working in hydrology in Africa … . Overall this book represents a significant compilation of literature, data and analysis … and as such provides a very substantial and useful source of information. It should be an essential book for library reference collections and a useful first port of call for researchers to look up information on the physical characteristics, climate and hydrology of Africa … ." (Declan Conway, Hydrological Sciences Journal, October, Vol. 48 (5), October, 2003)