Tap Water

What is water scarcity?

Water scarcity is when there is a lack of fresh water to meet the water demands of populations. This can lead to ‘water stress’, which is when economic, social, and environmental problems are caused by a lack of water.

 

What causes water scarcity?

 

A lack of water supply is often caused by water contamination, lack of infrastructure for managing and storing water, and uneven rainfall, which can lead to droughts. The consequences of climate change are making these problems worse. Furthermore, rapid population growth and more urbanisation means that there is more demand for water in areas which do not have the supply. In the last 25 years, sub-Saharan Africa’s population has almost doubled. This population growth is outpacing government investment in water infrastructure.

 

Why is this a problem?

 

Water is central to many processes, such as watering livestock and irrigating crops, as well as being used for drinking, cooking, and washing. At the moment, only 56% of urban populations in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to safe, piped water. A lack of access to water is one of the biggest causes of poverty and also contributes to the spread of diseases, such as cholera. Many people have to travel long distances to access safe water. The United Nations (an international organisation that seeks to find solutions to problems regarding peace, equality, and the environment) estimates that sub-Saharan Africa loses 40 billion hours a year collecting water. This lost time can affect family care, education, and work, particularly impacting women and children. Furthermore, because water supplies often cross boundaries, competition over water access can sometimes create conflict. A lack of water also contributes to stagnant economies because agriculture, which has the potential to boost economies, is severely affected by depleted water levels.

 

What can be done to counter water scarcity?

 

There are many things that can be done to help solve the problems of water supply. This can be done on a large scale, including more investment in water infrastructure, such as storage systems, to counter problems of uneven rainfall and droughts. The World Health Organisation (WHO), international organisation leading global health responses, says that for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is a profit of $2-34. Governments of different countries can also work together to establish more agreements over water supplies to prevent conflict arising due to competition over water. On a local/regional scale, improvements can be made to local agricultural systems, such as using drip irrigation (allowing water to drip directly to the roots of plants), which helps to conserve water. Alternatively, organic fertilizers can be used, which help crops to grow even in periods of little rainfall. Research should be conducted to determine the factors that affect water supply in different regions. Focusing on issues with water supply will improve public health and the economic stability of these regions.

Ellie Smyk

VIEW ALL POSTS

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function create_function() in /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-content/themes/helpinghands/framework/inc/sd-theme-functions/sd-functions.php:188 Stack trace: #0 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(326): sd_style_tag_cloud() #1 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/plugin.php(205): WP_Hook->apply_filters() #2 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/category-template.php(778): apply_filters() #3 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/widgets/class-wp-widget-tag-cloud.php(60): wp_tag_cloud() #4 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/class-wp-widget.php(394): WP_Widget_Tag_Cloud->widget() #5 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/widgets.php(837): WP_Widget->display_callback() #6 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-content/themes/helpinghands/sidebar.php(26): dynamic_sidebar() #7 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/template.php(790): require_once('/home/213602.cl...') #8 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/template.php(725): load_template() #9 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/general-template.php(136): locate_template() #10 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-content/themes/helpinghands/single.php(114): get_sidebar() #11 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-includes/template-loader.php(106): include('/home/213602.cl...') #12 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-blog-header.php(19): require_once('/home/213602.cl...') #13 /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/index.php(17): require('/home/213602.cl...') #14 {main} thrown in /home/213602.cloudwaysapps.com/nxykgcmrcx/public_html/wp-content/themes/helpinghands/framework/inc/sd-theme-functions/sd-functions.php on line 188
WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on this website.

Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.