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Water scarcity and its causes essay
Causes and solutions of water scarcity
Causes of water scarcity in developing countries
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Introduction on Water
It covers 70% of our planet, makes up 75% of our body, it is necessary for survival and it is declining at a rapid rate (http://www.sscwd.org). It is water. Unfortunately, clean water is rare, almost 1 billion people in developing countries do not have access to water everyday. “Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles” (The Water Project). Use of earth’s natural resources should be seen as prosperity, although it is taken for granted, every aspect of daily life revolves around the environment, forcing water conservation to be necessary for future on this planet. Many people grab a water bottle to go as they head to life as normal, others in developing countries spend their lives searching for water that is rarely found. Even if they do obtain water, it is seldom clean and usually comes with the risk of disease. As more developed countries pay a dollar or so for a bottle of water, others in less fortunate places worship water as if it is gold.
As many children around the world attend a privileged school everyday, the idea of missing school due to water-borne illness never crosses their mind, yet for those in less fortunate countries, it is a gift to have the strength and health to attend school on a regular basis. Sickness there is common and many times, water is the cause. “Education is lost to sickness. Economic development is lost while people merely try to survive” (The World Project).
Americans go to the sink knowing with a simple flip of the nosil, clean water will magically appear. It is often presumed that clean water is a given and it is never acknowledged that saving water in one country could evidently help another country's water...
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Although inside the house, there is clearly a heavy water usage, it is scary to learn that the majority of water wasted is in the yard. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “of the 26 billion gallons of water consumed daily in the United States, approximately 7.8 billion gallons, or 30 percent, is devoted to outdoor uses.” An average lawn will be watered with over 10,000 gallons of water per year (Erie 203). Although a lot of water is used to keep these lawns green, the sad truth is that many of these gallons will never even water the lawn due to evaporation and direct runoff.
To avoid these costly and wasteful water practices outdoors, there are more simply solutions. The most effective change is to cut down on the amount of green space by replacing grass and water reliant plants with drought tolerant solutions or turf grass areas.
Landscaping techniques, such as drip irrigation and xeriscaping can reduce California's use of water immensely. Eighty Percent of the state’s developed water supply is used on agriculture, but much of that eighty percent is wasted because of sprinkler systems. The water sprayed from sprinkler systems often evaporates, and more water is wasted to water the plants. A drip system is specifically placed at each plant and lets the water seep into the roots, so no water can be wasted through evaporation. This would require less water to be used on plants, because more is actually reaching the roots, saving the rest of the water for California. Xeriscaping is a type of “dry landscaping.” This means that materials and plants, such as native plants, succulents, gravel, and water flowers are used to design a beautiful outdoor space, instead of using grass which consumes an average of about fifty-seven inches of rain per year. Grass needs to be watered frequently, using up California’s water supply, but a dry landscape would use little to no water, benefiting California. Farmers and Homeowners can employ these landscaping techniques to reduce the use of California...
Peterson, M., (2014, March 20). Drought: Our homes could be recycling gray water right now—why aren't they? Retrieved on March 21, 2014 from http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/03/20/42917/our-homes-could-be-recycling-gray-water-right-now/
Water has become a very controversial issue in the United States and around the world. As populations increase and resources decrease, the way we use our resources and keep populations safe become more and more important. Throughout the world there are nearly 1.1 billion people who do not have access the clean drinking water. 5 Most of these 1.1 billion people are located in poor areas and do not have the financial means to build the infrastructures needed to provide water to the citizens of their country. 5 Drinking water is an essential part of our everyday life. People must have water to survive, but it must be clean and safe to consume.
We often hear the saying that water is the source of life so how can mankind waste this precious source that God has given us. A fine example was mentioned in the film about India’s new green agricultural system where 30 times more water is been use than the actual amount required. It is really hard to see how these farmers are spitefully wasting water when it is really needed in the neighboring communities. This goes to show that people only do things to benefit themselves not considering the needs of other people. Not only is water being wasted in developing countries but there is also water wastage in developed countries we often take our water sources for granted here in the US such as not turning off the pipes when brushing our teeth or washing our hands and the list goes on. Water conservation is the key to saving our planet because soon it will become extinct to us human beings.
First it explains that water conservation can be found in common activities in the home like doing the dishes, laundry, showering, brushing teeth, and watering the lawn. Then it explores the amount of fresh water that can be saved each year by using low-flowing fixtures and appliances in the home. It then identifies that every household has the responsibility to save fresh water and if done by every household in America, gallons of fresh water and money can be saved to help everyone each year. They are many ways to start saving water, and no matter what society may say, each individual has the responsibility to start saving fresh water today. Saving water is simple, from fixing leaks to installing low-flow water units on all household appliances. Remember, every time the shower is used, the dishes are done, the lawn is watered, or the laundry is done all could have been done using less fresh
When a young child becomes sick in a struggling country, there is not much to do! They do not have access to the modern-day medicine and information other privileged nations do. One out of every five deaths under the age of five is due to a water-related disease. Once a child becomes sick from one of the many diseases living in contaminated water, they can no longer attend school or work for the family. If one is lucky enough to have a family member to take care of them, the family member must stay home.
Although water is renewable, it becomes difficult and expensive to reuse if it gets polluted, therefore a business or home that is reducing the amount of water is crucial for the conservation of water in Australia. (australianmuseum.net, 2016) Water consumption in Australia has been decreasing. Total water consumption in Australia fell by 28% between 2004 and 2010, from 18,767 GL to 13,476 GL, with household water consumption falling by 11% to 1,868 GL over the same
"The United States Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that one third of all water use is used on grass, and some experts estimate that as much as 50% of that that water is wasted to evaporation, wind and runoff" (Outdoor Water Use)
Clean water is needed for good human and animal health, but as DoSomething.org states, over 1 billion people worldwide don’t have a means of getting clean drinking water, an...
Another problem for people of Africa is clear access to clean water. Clean drinking water is very rare for the people of Africa. Unclean water and sanitation problem leads to many diseases in African countries. Main problem which occurs due to unclean water is child morality. Around 2000 children’s die from diarrhoea which spread due to poor sanitatio...
Freshwater is quite scarce, but it is even scarcer than one might think: about seventy percent of all freshwater is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland and is unavailable to humans. Most of the remainder is present as soil moisture or lies in deep underground aquifers as groundwater. It is not economically feasible to extract this waster for use as drinking water. This leaves less than one percent of the world’s fresh water that is available to humans. It includes the water found in lakes, reservoirs, groundwater that is shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. These freshwater sources are the only sources that are frequently replenished by rain and snowfall, and therefore are renewable. At the current rates of consumption, however, this supply of fresh water will not last. Pollution and contamination of freshwater sources exacerbate the problem, further reducing the amount of freshwater available for human consumption. Something must be done if humans want to even survive in the near future: the lack of clean drinking water is already the number one cause of disease in the world today. The first step is worldwide awareness of the water crisis: governments and the citizens they govern worldwide need to know about this problem and be actively involved in solving this problem.
Water is on of the most precious natural resources that exist on our planet. “It is delivered from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, fog, and condensation and returns to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration” (Hannigan 1969). Although many of us love activities that have to do with water, we disregard it and pollute out rivers, lakes and oceans. Slowly but surely we are going to harm out planet till no return. Protecting and conserving nature will secure a better future. 71% of earth is covered with oceans. Sounds like a lot right? Imagine ...
Water is the most vital part of life. Water is needed from humans, to plants and other organisms, and to do basically everything. Water allows our bodily functions to work and to remove waste from our bodies. Plants need water to grow, and humans need plants to gr...
The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development. 70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades.
As of this year, nearly 1.1 billion people live without clean drinking water and 2.6 billion live without adequate water sanitation. The McDonald's down the street, however, will sell you a 1/3 pounder burger for only 150 gallons. Changes in lifestyle can easily reduce this number and help not only save water, but money as well. Currently, with our diminishing water supply, one of the main goals of humanitarian organizations is ensuring that everyone has the right and equality to water. With global access to water, it reduces the responsibility for political tension between countries fighting to literally stay alive.