Water is indeed synonymous with life and there’s nothing more important than water for sustainable growth. Yet from sub-Saharan Africa to the city of New Delhi, the water crisis is evident almost everywhere. People are struggling throughout the globe to get access to clean water. Due to the growing water crisis around the world and to address the problem, the United Nations recognized March 22nd as World Water Day.
Facts about the Global Water Crisis
- Every day around 800 children under the age of 5 dies due to diarrhea that’s caused due to poor water quality and sanitation problems.
- Recent research conducted by the UN showed that around 443 million school days are lost each year because of waterborne diseases among children.
- People spend around 40 billion hours every year collecting clean water in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Even in this 21st century, around 2 million people rely on wells for their supply of water.
- Approximately 1 in 9 people don’t have access to clean drinking water.
- In developing countries, as much as 80% of the overall health issues and diseases are linked with poor water and sanitation problems.
- Over half of diarrheal deaths can be averted by ensuring safe drinking water and proper hygiene regime.
Solution for Global Water Crisis
Sustainable Water Management
Water is a scarce resource. Sustainable water management is an integral part of improving the water crisis throughout the globe. Improving the water infrastructure and limiting water usage will help to increase efficiency.
Creating Awareness
Educating people about the importance of water and a world-wide crisis will help to cope with the future water crisis. Freshwater is unevenly distributed throughout the world. Those who have proper access to it should be educated to use it in a sustainably and limit the uses. Creating awareness will help to reduce the unnecessary uses of water.
Recycling Water
There are multiple methods of recycling water. Some of those are required costly procedures. However, many can be easily done following some simple methods even in rural areas.
Groundwater Recharge
The artificial groundwater recharge method has been going on for decades and it’s has been one of the most effective methods of solving the water crisis in many regions. The recharge process can be human-induced as well as a natural process. The recharge can be done via injection wells, through irrigation, etc.
Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is the main source of water for many regions around the world, mostly in Africa. A variety of water catchment systems are built in their roofs and gardens. The rainwater is perfectly safe to drink and it can also be used for performing daily chores.
Causes of World Water Crisis
Climate Change
The climate of the planet is changing and the temperature hike is growing rapidly. The clouds are moving away from the equator and moving towards the poles. This phenomenon is depriving Equatorial regions like the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central America of rainwater.
Groundwater Depletion
Around 30% of the Earth’s freshwater resources are available in the form of groundwater. However, it is used more frequently than it is replenished. This has led to a growing crisis with water. We can’t see the decline in the underwater reserve with our naked eyes. Without a sustainable plan, around 54% of the aquifers will be in critical condition.
Wastage
In many parts of the world, water is available for a cheaper price than it takes to treat it for reuse. This is one of the causes of the global water crisis as water is often wasted. Despite being a renewable substance, waste is not economical. Flood irrigation, thermal power plants, and even in ordinary households, more water is used than required.
Impacts of Clean Water Crisis
- Water pollution has a severe impact on the clean water crisis globally. Due to globalization, an increasing amount of waste and toxins are produced on a daily basis, which in turn leads to water contamination.
- Many schools don’t have access to clean drinking water. Thus, the children stay dehydrated that eventually declines their concentration level.
- Diseases related to unclean water kills more children than any other form of calamity or violence, including war.
- The lack of clean water leads to insufficient resources to keep and maintain livestock. This eventually leads to a decline in economic growth.
- It’s hard to maintain a proper hygienic and sanitation regime if one does not have access to clean water. This leads to many waterborne diseases that attribute the death of around 1 million people every year.
- There have been many cases of regional conflicts between countries over freshwater sources
- The clean water crisis have an adverse effect on the economy of a country
Amidst this crisis, certain governments and social-organizations are taking their stand to create awareness and reduce the waste of water. To ensure a sustainable future for everyone, it’s important to have proper water resource for everyone across the globe.