for example the indicated low water stress in many african countries in figure does not take the lower status of water resources development into account most of these countries have less than of their cultivated area equipped with irrigation systems aquastat nd climate change and increasing climate variability are also likely to vary at the local and basin scales and over different seasons for the most part however dry areas will tend to become drier and wet areas wetter figure such that climate change will likely exacerbate water stress in areas that are already the most affected