Global Water Scarcity
Water — the most precious resource that earth has offer, yet is being taken for granted. More than 70% of the human body is made from water, proving that it is essential to human life.
When looking at satellite images and world maps, there is more water than land covering the planet. According to water industry experts, 71% of earth is covered in water. When that number is broken down, an intimidating fact is that only 2% of all water on the planet is fresh, drinkable water. The less available it becomes, the more valuable it becomes. The reality we are facing is that there is a finite amount of water available for consumption.
The hydrosphere refers to the total mass of water on planet Earth. This includes oceans, lakes, streams, groundwater and glaciers. The bulk of Earth’’ fresh water, accounting for 68,7% is stored in ice and permanent snow cover, while 29,9% exists as groundwater. Only 0,26% of fresh water is found in lakes, river systems, and reservoirs.
Freshwater contamination happens on a daily basis, indicating that awareness needs to be raised in order to fight this ordeal.
Contamination can come from a variety of different sources. Methods that fresh water can become contaminated is when chemicals and toxins from pesticides and fertilizers within pipes find their way into an aquifer, making it extremely hazardous for human consumption.
Another way that freshwater becomes polluted is through PFAS, short for poly and perfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS is used to make everyday items resistant to moisture, heat, and stains. Some of these chemicals have such long half-lives that they are known as “the forever chemical”. More PFAS has been found in tap water than previously thought.
Population growth is increasing every year and this is putting an undeniable strain on the world’s aquifers. Aquifers have been in a steady decline every year since 2003. There are areas in the world where water scarcity is already an urgent issue and NASA has discovered that 21 of 37 of the world’s aquifers are being at risk of depletion.
According to the World Resource Institute, within 15 years, more than half of the world will live in water-stressed areas and a worldwide shortage where there will be a 40% gap between supply and demand. This means taking action now to help ensure that there fresh water for the years ahead.
Strategies need to be implemented to ensure a steady supply.
Exploration is critical in order to help uncover novel aquifers and sources of water. Effective wastewater treatment and management will help purify and recycle used water. In some innovative and technologically advanced countries, water purification technologies are in development. One such technology is graphene-desalination, a process that turns desert land into irrigated farmland.
If we are unable to source more water, we need to protect the existing supply. Technology such as vertical farming and aeroponic indoor farming methods uses 90% less water than the traditional outdoor method of farming, yet produces the same quality. The protection and monitoring of water usage are extremely important. To do this, smart meters across the system helps detect leaks, which is turn, can reduce demand. Improving existing infrastructural networks will ease water loss and improve delivery.
With climate change escalating and advancing faster than ever before, people are immigrating to different parts of the world in huge numbers. Climate change may accelerate the rate that this happening because freshwater will no longer be readily available. Inland regions will also become so hot and dry that it will be inhabitable.
Desertification is a serious threat to our survival as a planet and species. Finding methods and ways to mitigate desertification is extremely important.
This, in turn, will have percolating effects on related factors, such as densely populated regions where there is available freshwater. Overcrowded cities will cause different types of pollution and also increase stress on localized resources.
If dams are to dry up in certain cities and the government has no strategic or contingency plans in place, this could result in a socio-economic as well as a natural disaster. It would mean that citizens will need to queue to fetch water at the freshwater springs, diseases spread by people being forced to drink contaminated water, and people will become dehydrated and ill.
In a press release, the CEO of Nestle said that “should not be a basic human right” — an absurd and inhumane statement to make. Water is a basic need for human life and any form of privatization should be prohibited. In order to do this, the United Nations should put international policies in place to limit the privatization of water.
As climate change rapidly escalates each year, there will be a mass exodus of people moving from one region to another due to either flooding or the acceleration of desertification. Flooding in the Philippines has caused people who live and have built houses on river banks to experience a 3 to 6 cm rise of water every year. This is having damaging effects on their homes, with thousands of people relocating to more stable, landlocked regions.
Although no country can be saved completely from the effects of climate change and water scarcity, underdeveloped nations will be affected the worst because they do not have the resources or the infrastructure to fight this battle as it is too costly. Water is an invaluable resource and the preservation of fresh water needs to be a priority to any person or nation that cares about the state of the planet.
