| A landlocked country in West Africa, Mali covers about 479,000 square miles, more than half of which consist of desert land. Though it enjoys hydraulic resources far superior to those of some of its neighbors, more than a third of its modern water points (hand pump, solar, generator) are not functional. Only 62 percent of the population has access to 5 gal (19 L) of drinking water a day, and both sedentary and nomadic livestock farmers prefer traditional wells (which can be modernized so the water remains drinkable) so they can draw large amounts of water for their cattle. According to a March 2008 report by the African Development Bank (ADB), Africa only uses 4 percent of its water resources, as opposed to 70 to 90 percent consumed in the United States and Europe. Some 340 million Africans do not have access to drinking water and 500 million more do not have adequate sanitary facilities. It has also been calculated that costs due to the lack of drinking water and sanitation facilities come to $42 billion a year in Africa, or $14 billion more than the sector’s financing requirements. The programs launched by the ADB in 2003 should ensure access to drinking water and sanitary and hygiene facilities to 33 million Africans by 2010. One in six people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water and one in two does not own any basic toilet facilities.
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.&title2=Goats and camels at a well in Ti-n-Tehoun, Timbuktu region, Mali (16°58’N, 2°57’W).&title3= "download in wallpaper")
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