1 – INTRODUCTION
Water availability critically influences human well-being and directly affects ecosystems and the environment. Water supply and demand issues are especially more complicated in areas of rapid urban and population growth. Projections say that 46 to 52 countries and a total population of 3 billion people will be water stressed by 2025 (Rosegrant, 1997). And to increase a little bit more the complexity, there is the fact that water availability is not homogeneous. Water is irregularly distributed and, consequently, water problems are region-specific.
Water supply and demand problems usually fall into the wicked problem category. Their complexity is based on the fact that they have many interdependencies, are multi-causal, and have no clear solution. Also, water problems involve changing behaviour and usually are associated with political decisions and planning efficiency. There is usually a conflicting interest problem, meaning that the “solution” to one party can be a “problem” for others (Freeman, 2000).
The aim of this study is to understand the social, economic and biophysical aspects of this issue and the interactions between them. Water scarcity can be either seen as physical or economic (Ricci et al, 2000). Physical scarcity has to do with the biophysical aspects of the issue and fall outside of human control. Economic scarcity is associated with the technology available and costs associated with the process of exploitation, treatment, distribution, and reuse of water. The analysis will consider both economic and physical water demand and their interactions.
2 – BIOPHYSICAL ASPECTS
Water resources are basically extracted from two sources: surface- and ground-water. The primary source that supplies ur...
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Water shortage in arid and semi-arid regions and declining its availability to a crisis ...
Although water is all around, very little is drinkable. Six billion people live on earth and 1.1 billion in 31 countries are unable to access safe, clean drinking water. California has only 20 years of water supply left. Ironically, even the wettest place on earth, Cherrapunji, India, has often water shortages. After years of millions of people dying of thirst and disease, a corporate movement to find a solution to the water crisis has now swept the world. Water, a fleeting resource vital to every life, every single day of the year, is now being taken out of the governments control and becoming a commodity bought and sold by big business, a.k.a privatization.
An estimated 1.6 billion people around the world live in regions of economic water scarcity, with 780 million of these people living in areas with no basic water facilities. Economic water scarcity means that investments in water resources and relevant human labour forces are not substantial enough to meet water demands in an area where the population does not have the financial means to make use of an adequate water source on their own. Economic water scarcity is about an unequal distribution of resources for many reasons, including political and cultural conflict. Symptoms of economic water scarcity include lack of infrastructure development, causing people to have trouble getting enough water for agriculture or even basic sanitation and
The amount of water has been shrinking steadily but with extreme increases in population growth and consumption rate, countries in dry areas specifically the Middle East will feel the colossal effects of a water shortage. Since 1950, the population of the Middle East has risen by 21% a...
China has largest population around the world. In recent years, the water demand has grown rapidly to 4.13*1012m3 while the overall supply of water in China keeps falling every year. Based on climate scientists’ estimation, China’s total water supply drops by more than 90 trillion gallons annually (Cho, 2011). More than 450 cities in China suffer severe water shortages problems. The problem has been getting increasingly sever...
UNDP, 2006. Human Development Report: Coping with water scarcity. Challenge of the twenty-first century., s.l.: UN-Water, FAO, 2007.
Water is a precious natural resource which is essential for the survival of all living things; however, fresh water is becoming finite at an increasingly fast rate. Water is vital for the economic and social growth of a country; to generate energy, maintain health and grow food. However, a rising population, combined with the effects of climate change puts a strain on water availability. The United Nations Development (2006) states that around 700 million people suffer from water scarcity in 43 different countries and these numbers are predicted to rise to 1.8 billion people by the year 2025. Water shortage is a concerning issue and it could be argued that the effects could prove detrimental as the threat continues to rise. As well as the causes
Worldwide, countries have found more cost-effective to exploit water sources within their jurisdiction than to invest on water management strategies. The only remaining sources of water that can now be developed are mostly transboundary in nature (Biswas, 1999; Black and King, 2009).
In recent decades, China’s population has rapidly grown which caused rapid economic growth and increased the rate of urbanisation. At present china has one of the fastest urban population growth rate in the world.(UNDP 2013) All this happened along with proceeding environmental destruction and serious water pollution. The growing population of China has a high water demand as well as a lack of sufficient wastewater infrastructure. Those factors result in poor water quality and severe water shortages. In 2002 the rate of municipal wastewater treatment in China was 39.9 percent. (U.S Department of commerce 2005)
Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only <1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes. Many of these in later years shall need to be addressed as tension rises:
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.
...mates that by the year 2025, on the basis of high population growth, total demand could be 843 billion cubic meters. The present demand of 629 billion cubic meters is 64% of the utilizable water resources. The remaining water resource development calls for massive investment, inclusion in five-year-plans, and concerted efforts. It involves several issues related to complex technical, environmental, and socio-economic aspects. Remaining water resource development calls for massive investment, inclusion in five-year-plans, and concerted efforts. It involves several issues related to complex technical, environmental, and socio-economic aspects. By 2050, the total demand for water would be 1,180 billion cubic meters of which irrigation demand would be 807 billion cubic meters. Thus, the total demand would go beyond the currently estimated potential utilizable resources.
With the growing population water and energy have become two of the most important resources on the earth. Both water shortages and energy crises are big concern around the world. It is reported that more than 1.2 billion people in the world lack access to clean and safe drinking water which is about the population of India. Although most of the planet is surrounded by oceans i.e. about 71%, only approximately 2.5% is freshwater, much of which is not available to us.
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 an integral part of not only human beings but all other creatures in the world. We use it every day for different purposes such as domestic, agricultural and industrial. Water has always been a prestigious resource. However, the majority of people do not appraise water’s worth since they do not face water scarcity; whereas, in third world countries it is one of the most serious problems. Nearly 2.4 billion people have a lack of water resources in the world, shows the investigation done by the Pacific Institute, an Oakland, California-based non-profit scientific research group. Moreover, every year this number is growing gradually and more people are suffering (Bloomberg News, 2010). There are certain causes which deteriorate current situation. The most influential reasons are global warming, pollution by human-beings and overpopulation. It is known that India is one of the countries which face water scarcity so this essay will consider the possible ways of solutions of water shortage in India.