essay on water crisis and management

Essay On Water Management

500 words essay on water management.

Water management refers to activities that plan, develop, distribute and manage the optimum use of water resources. Everyone can do this from local authorities to individuals at home. Good water management allows access to safe water for everyone. Through an essay on water management, we will go through it in detail.

Importance of Water Management

Water management impacts various aspects of our lives. As water is common, we do not think much of its management. But, if we ask the deprived people, they will know the importance of water management very well.

As we require drinking water, clean drinking water is a necessity. No human can survive without water. Further, we also need water management for cleaning and washing. For instance, we bathe, wash our clothes and utensils to maintain hygiene .

Further, agriculture requires water for growing the food that we eat every day. Thus, a good water supply becomes essential. Moreover, we also enjoy swimming, boating and other leisure activities in the water.

For instance, swimming pools and more. Thus, water needs to be managed so people can enjoy all this. Most importantly, water management ensures that our rivers and lakes do not contaminate. Thus, it helps maintain biodiversity.

Ways of Water Management

There are various ways available through which we can manage water. The major ways of water management include recycling and treating wastewater. When we treat wastewater , it becomes safe to be piped back to our homes.

Thus, we use it for drinking, washing and more. In addition, an irrigation system is a very good way of water management. It involves a good quality irrigation system which we can deploy for nourishing crops in drought-hit areas.

By managing these systems, we can ensure water does not go to waste and avoid unnecessarily depleting water supplies. Most importantly, conserving water is essential at every level.

Whether it is a big company or a small house, we all must practise water management. The big industries use gallons of water on a daily basis. At homes, we can conserve water by using it less.

Further, it also applies to our way of consumption of products. A large amount of water goes into the production of cars or a simple item like a shirt. Thus, we must not buy things unnecessarily but consciously.

It is also essential to care for natural supplies like lakes, rivers , seas and more. As you know, these ecosystems are home to a variety of organisms. Without its support, they will go extinct. Thus, water management becomes essential to ensure we are not polluting these resources.

It is also crucial to ensure that everyone gets access to enough water. Some parts of the world are completely deprived of clean water while some have it in abundance. This is unfair to those who do not get it which also causes many deaths. Thus, we need water management to avoid all this.

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Conclusion of the Essay on Water Management

If we look at the current situation of water depletion, it is evident that we are in dire need of water management. We must come together to do our best to ensure that everyone is getting access to safe water daily so that we can lead happy lives.

FAQ of Essay on Water Management

Question 1: What is meant by water management?

Answer 1: Water management refers to the control and movement of water resources for minimizing damage to life and property. Moreover, it is to maximize effective beneficial use.

Question 2: What are the ways of water management?

Answer 2: There are numerous ways of water management. Some of them are the treatment of wastewater, deploying good irrigation methods, conserving water whenever possible. Further, we must also care for natural sources of water like rivers, seas, lakes and more.

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How can we solve the global water crisis?

Human activities are jeopardizing water at its source. Image:  Unsplash/mrjn Photography

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Ngozi okonjo-iweala, johan rockström, tharman shanmugaratnam.

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Stay up to date:, global governance.

This article is produced in collaboration with Project Syndicate.

• Water-related crises around the world show that current systems of water management are unsuited for a world altered by global warming.
• Water-use restrictions, power cuts and other stopgap measures are no longer fit for purpose.
• The task now is to understand the links between water, climate change and biodiversity loss, and to properly govern water as a global common good.
• The world needs to clearly define its plans, as this will help governments steer innovation and knowhow towards meeting critical goals.

The floods, droughts, heatwaves, and fires that are devastating many parts of the world underscore two fundamental facts. First, damage to freshwater supplies is increasingly straining human societies, especially the poor, with far-reaching implications for economic, social, and political stability. Second, the combined impact of today’s extreme conditions are unprecedented in human history, and are overwhelming policymakers’ ability to respond.

In East Africa, a devastating four-year drought has destroyed millions of livelihoods and left more than 20 million people at risk of starvation. In Pakistan, recent flooding has submerged one-third of the country, killing at least 1,500 people so far and wiping out 45% of this year’s crops. In China, an unprecedented heatwave has caused acute water shortages in regions that account for one-third of the country’s rice production .

Moreover, droughts and fires in the United States and Europe, and severe floods and droughts across India, have reduced global grain yields and food exports, highlighting the extent to which our food production depends on large, stable volumes of water. Add to this the impact of the war in Ukraine on grain and fertilizer supplies, and there is a substantial risk that today’s global food crisis will persist.

For the first time in our history, human activities are jeopardizing water at its very source. Climate change and deforestation are reshaping the monsoon season, causing ice on the Tibetan plateau to melt , and affecting freshwater supplies to more than one billion people. Rising global temperatures are changing evaporation patterns and reducing moisture feedback from forests, disrupting downwind rainfall. And a destabilized global water cycle is itself aggravating climate change. For example, the depletion of water in the soil and forests is reducing their ability to sequester carbon .

Water-use restrictions, power cuts, and other stopgap measures can no longer paper over the fact that our water governance and management systems are not suited for a world of radical environmental change. All our current arrangements rest on the assumption, now invalidated, that the water supply is relatively stable (within the bounds of natural variability), predictable, and manageable in localized ways. But the water crisis is global, and it can be solved only with transformational thinking and new governance.

We must recognize that all our key environmental challenges are connected to water – whether there is too much or too little, or whether it is too polluted for human use. The task now is to understand the links between water, climate change, and biodiversity loss, and to properly define, value, and govern water as a global common good. Thinking about water in this way will allow us to mobilize collective action and design new rules that put equity and justice at the center of our response.

For too long, most governments have either ignored market failures or responded to them with quick fixes, rather than mobilizing the public and private sectors around common ambitions. The public sector must see itself as a market shaper that works with all stakeholders in the water economy to create pathways for innovation and investment, ensure universal access to clean water and sanitation, and provide enough water for food, energy, and natural systems.

A key lesson from past challenges that demanded systemic innovation is that a clearly defined mission is needed to organize our efforts. Mission-oriented policies allow governments to steer innovation and knowhow directly toward meeting critical goals. When guided by an inclusive “common-good” approach, they are uniquely capable of delivering solutions to challenges that require tremendous levels of coordination and financing across many years. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and water crises are precisely such challenges.

Mission-based strategies can help governments innovate with purpose, direction, and urgency. But to be effective, policymakers must heed the experience and wisdom of the ordinary citizens, communities, and innovators who know how to prosper in a world of water scarcity, higher temperatures, and altered coastline and river systems.

We must now recognize threats to the global freshwater system and translate our awareness into collective action. Because water scarcity will jeopardize all the other Sustainable Development Goals, it should solidify our collective determination to limit temperature increases to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels (as specified in the Paris climate agreement), and to preserve the natural systems that ensure stable rainfall and runoff patterns.

Water security – both sustainable supply and clean quality – is a critical aspect in ensuring healthy communities. Yet, our world’s water resources are being compromised.

Today, 80% of our wastewater flows untreated back into the environment, while 780 million people still do not have access to an improved water source. By 2030, we may face a 40% global gap between water supply and demand.

The World Economic Forum’s Water Possible Platform is supporting innovative ideas to address the global water challenge.

The Forum supports innovative multi-stakeholder partnerships including the 2030 Water Resources Group , which helps close the gap between global water demand and supply by 2030 and has since helped facilitate $1Billion of investments into water.

Other emerging partnerships include the 50L Home Coalition , which aims to solve the urban water crisis , tackling both water security and climate change; and the Mobilizing Hand Hygiene for All Initiative , formed in response to close the 40% gap of the global population not having access to handwashing services during COVID-19.

Want to join our mission to address the global water challenge? Read more in our impact story .

In tackling these global challenges, we must hardwire the principles of equity and justice into whatever new arrangements we devise. No community can thrive without a reliable supply of clean water. But safeguarding this global common good requires new policies and systems.

Law and economics must both be reoriented to ensure universal access to clean drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, and to build more resilient and sustainable food systems. Incentives must change so that the private sector can do its part to provide access to technology and innovation to poor and rich countries alike. This will require long-term finance and novel mechanisms to regulate how the public and private sectors work together.

Have you read?

Ensuring sustainable water management for all by 2030, we need to rethink how we manage our water systems — before it’s too late, low-income communities lack access to clean water. it’s time for change.

The UN 2023 Water Conference – the first in almost 50 years – will be a pivotal moment for the international community to start mapping out a future that works for everyone. In preparing for it, we can take inspiration from Nicholas Stern , who rewrote the economics of climate change , and Partha Dasgupta , who rewrote the economics of biodiversity . As the four co-chairs of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water , our goal is to transform the world’s understanding of the economics and governance of water, placing a much stronger emphasis on equity, justice, effectiveness, and democracy.

We can still redefine our relationship with water and redesign our economies to value water as a global common good. But the window of opportunity is closing. To have a chance of avoiding climate catastrophe and adapting to unavoidable change, we must ensure a resilient water future for poor and rich societies alike.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Water Scarcity — Water Crisis: Understanding the Causes and Seeking Solutions

Water Crisis: Understanding The Causes and Seeking Solutions

• Categories: Environmental Issues Water Scarcity

About this sample

Words: 1019 |

Published: Jan 28, 2021

Words: 1019 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Causes of the water crisis, consequences of the water crisis, seeking solutions to the water crisis.

• Invest in water storage, distribution, and treatment infrastructure.
• Implement smart technologies for monitoring and controlling water usage.
• Promote efficient water allocation and pricing mechanisms.
• Encourage farmers to adopt precision agriculture techniques.
• Promote the use of drought-resistant crop varieties.
• Implement efficient irrigation systems, such as drip irrigation.
• Reduce excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides.
• Promote water conservation at the individual and community levels.
• Fix water leaks and encourage the use of low-flow appliances.
• Educate the public on water-saving habits.
• Invest in advanced wastewater treatment facilities.
• Implement stricter regulations on industrial and agricultural wastewater discharge.
• Promote the recycling and reuse of treated wastewater (water reclamation).
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable energy sources.
• Support afforestation and reforestation efforts to maintain water catchment areas.
• Develop and implement climate-resilient water management strategies.
• ABC News. (2019). Chennai's the latest city to have almost run out of water, and other cities could follow suit. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06- 22/chennais-telling-the-globe-a-story-about-water-scarcity/11229084
• Ceranic, I. (2018). Perth rainfall is higher than Melbourne, Hobart, London despite reputation for sunny beaches. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018- 04-24/perth-rainfall-higher-than-melbourne-hobart-and-london/9688142
• Green Water Plumbing. (2019). Water Crisis: Is Australia Running Out of Water? Retrieved from https://www.greenplanetplumbing.com.au/water-crisis-is- australia-running-out-of-water/
• Juneja, P. (n.d.). The Economic Impact of Cape Town’s Water Crisis. Retrieved from https://www.managementstudyguide.com/economic-impact-of-cape-town-water- crisis.htm
• Qureshi, M. E.; Hanjra, Munir A.; Ward, J. (2013). Impact of water scarcity in Australia on global food security in an era of climate change. Food Policy, 38:136-145. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2012.11.003
• Thirumurthy, P. The News Minute. (2019). Chennai water crisis: Schools closes down for junior classes, others declare half-day. Retrieved from https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/chennai-water-crisis-school-closes-down- junior-classes-others-declare-half-day-103919
• United Nations. (2014). Water for Life Decade: Water scarcity. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml
• Wright, I. (2017). This is what Australia’s growing cities need to do to avoid running dry. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/this-is-what-australias-growing-cities- need-to-do-to-avoid-running-dry-86301
• Lakshmi, K. (2019). Chennai’s Day Zero: It’s not just meteorology but mismanagement that’s made the city run dry. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/sci- tech/energy-and-environment/chennais-day-zero-its-not-just-meteorology-but- mismanagement-thats-made-the-city-run-dry/article28197491.ece

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TROUBLING WATERS

Understanding global water security.

This report was produced by the CSIS Project on Water Security, which is supported with the generosity of CSIS Trustee Henrietta Fore.

By Zane Swanson & Sarah B. Grace | February 9, 2024

The world is not on the precipice of a global water crisis: it is decades into an escalating catastrophe .

Today, global water demand already outstrips availability, with at least half of the global population experiencing highly water-stressed conditions. That is, they live in a region of the world that is highly water stressed for at least one month of the year.

At the same time, climate change will have diverse and unpredictable consequences for water security . 

The ramifications of the existing water crisis will continue to grow in scope and severity without swift and robust intervention.

I. The Basics of Global Water

Water covers about 71 percent of the earth's surface. However, only a relatively small quantity is available for human use and consumption.

Of the estimated 1.39 billion cubic kilometers of water on the earth, approximately 97 percent is found in the oceans. Just 3 percent of the earth's water is freshwater, but most of that is unavailable—either locked up in glaciers, polar ice caps, the atmosphere, and soil; too highly polluted; or located where is it not practically or economically feasible to access. That leaves about one half of 1 percent of the earth's water remaining as freshwater that is available for human use.

With what is available, the world uses about 4 trillion cubic meters of freshwater annually. This is a volume about six times greater than global freshwater withdrawal at the turn of the twentieth century.

By 2050 the world is projected to demand 20 to 25 percent more water. And it is estimated that the number of people suffering from severe water scarcity could increase by 40 percent by the end of this century.

How is available freshwater used?

AGRICULTURE

Irrigation of agricultural land is a substantial burden on freshwater resources. Though figures vary regionally, agricultural activity accounts for about 71 percent of all freshwater withdrawals globally. The proportion of water withdrawals for agriculture tends to be higher among developing countries and in the Global South.

Industrial freshwater withdrawals account for about 15 percent of total global water withdrawals. This figure, too, varies significantly between countries. The United States withdrew nearly 210 billion cubic meters of water for industrial use in 2020, accounting for almost half of all domestic freshwater withdrawals that year.

The lowest share of global water withdrawals, about 13 percent , are spread across municipal or residential uses. These include household-level uses for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. As a result, cultural and practical differences in household water behaviors drive significant variation in per capita water demands.

II. Water Security Defined

Given the myriad ways in which freshwater is used, the relationships between water, human health and well-being, economic development, and environmental integrity are all central to defining water security .

The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.

- UN-Water, Water Security and the Global Water Agenda

Water Scarcity

Water scarcity is broadly understood to exist “where the demand for water exceeds supply and where available water resources are approaching or have exceeded sustainable limits.” A region is identified as being water scarce when annual renewable freshwater supply is less than 1,000 cubic meters per capita ( two and a half times less than the yearly per capita use in the United States .)

Physical water scarcity refers specifically to the relationship between the quantity of water available in a region and the quantity of water required by that region’s population. Economic water scarcity reflects the functional capacity, or lack thereof, to mobilize adequate water resources for a population.

Water Stress

Water stress is “an outcome of water scarcity and refers to scarcity in terms of quality and accessibility.”

This can manifest “in conflict over water resources, over-extraction, or poor health and disease.”

(In quantitative terms, water stress is experienced when the renewable freshwater supply declines below 1,700 cubic meters per person per year.

Water stress also occurs when the fraction of freshwater withdrawals to freshwater availability is significantly high— a withdrawal to supply ratio of 0.4 or greater indicates severe water stress .)

The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health’s 2023 Global Water Security Assessment found that 72 percent of people live in countries that are water insecure, with a further 8 percent living in countries that are critically so.

Measures of both water scarcity and water stress are helpful tools for identifying regions and populations that are at highest risk for water insecurity, especially in the context of persistent and increasing challenges caused by climate change and human activity .

However, regional or population-specific measures of water stress are often lagging indicators, not specifically evaluating the way in which water insecurity manifests at the individual and household level or in real time. Even relatively short periods of water insecurity—those that may not be apparent in annual surveys of water insecurity—can have significant ramifications for health and socioeconomic well-being.

III. Assessing the Human Experience of Water Insecurity

While the quantification of water security in its physical forms is vital to the understanding of the risks to freshwater resources, it ultimately presents an incomplete picture.

In addition to measuring the quantity and geographic distribution of freshwater, lived experiences of water security must also be assessed.

Tools like the Water Insecurity Experiences ( WISE ) Scales offer a means to measure the experience of water security within and across communities. This allows for the collection and analysis of data regarding the lived experience of water availability, quality, accessibility, and stability that are comparable at a global scale.

The WISE Scales were developed over the past several years to provide a holistic measure of the human experience of water security.

The WISE Experiences

How frequently did you or anyone in your household worry you would not have enough water for all of your household needs?

'Interrupt'

How frequently has your main water source been interrupted or limited (e.g., water pressure, less water than expected, river dried up)?

How frequently have problems with water meant that clothes could not be washed?

How frequently have you or anyone in your household had to change schedules or plans due to problems with your water situation?

How frequently have you or anyone in your household had to change what was being eaten because there were problems with water?

How frequently have you or anyone in your household had to go without washing hands after dirty activities because of problems with water?

How frequently have you or anyone in your household had to go without washing their body because of problems with water?

How frequently has there not been as much water to drink as you would like for you or anyone in your household?

How frequently did you or anyone in your household feel angry about your water situation?

How frequently have you or anyone in your household gone to sleep thirsty because there wasn’t any water to drink?

How frequently has there been no useable or drinkable water whatsoever in your household?

How frequently have problems with water caused you or anyone in your household to feel ashamed, excluded, or stigmatized?

The measures of water insecurity, whether experienced at the individual (IWISE) or household (HWISE) level, draw upon four water security characteristics to provide globally comparable measures that extend beyond the typical measure of physical water availability and safety.

Availability

The quantity of water. There must be enough water to satisfy residential and domestic needs, in addition to the needs of local agriculture and industry.

The acceptability of water for drinking and household use. Water must be of sufficient quality as to not pose a threat to human health and provide a means for necessary hygiene practices and the functioning of effective sanitation facilities.

Accessibility

The affordability and adequate infrastructure of water. Water services must be available locally and within reasonable distance of the household, as well as schools, places of work, health facilities, and public places. Additionally, water and sanitation services must be available at costs that make them affordable to all, whether through regulation or social policies.

The temporal reliability of water. Water resources must be reliable to the point that a sufficient quantity and quality of water is available for all personal and domestic needs consistently.

These characteristics—and the ways in which they relate to human health and well-being—are affected by external drivers. These include events related to anthropogenic climate change (e.g., drought, flooding, precipitation change, saltwater intrusion) , population and demographic change, and governance of water resources.

IV. The Geopolitics of Water

The ubiquity of water makes it a uniquely powerful tool for development and an increasingly vulnerable resource.

Population growth, demographic change, economic development, and the requisite need for increased agricultural production have led to unsustainable levels of freshwater use and degradation . Global freshwater withdrawals have more than doubled since 1960 .

Simultaneously, the consequences of climate change —increased frequency and severity of floods, droughts, and extreme weather events—threaten the quantity and quality of water resources around the globe.

Water-related natural disasters are particularly deadly, accounting for 70 percent of deaths associated with natural disasters.

The degradation of water resources—and the failings of governance that exacerbate it—have spurred political instability , including rising transboundary tensions, global market challenges, and social unrest.

Recent Large-scale Water Security Crises

The Syrian Civil War and resulting Refugee Crisis in Europe

Conflict in Syria was spurred by myriad distinct and overlapping sociopolitical factors, including economic, agricultural, and health challenges related to water insecurity. This insecurity was caused, in part, by the confluence of drought and unsustainable transboundary water management .

Triggered by this conflict and the related food and water insecurity, millions of migrants , primarily from Syria and Iraq, sought refuge in Europe in the subsequent years. The political and social ramifications were profound, with some attributing the rise of the right-wing populist movement in Europe to the anti-immigrant sentiment that grew in response to the crisis. As a result,   many migrants seeking refuge in Europe still face a difficult and dangerous journey today.

The Flint Water Crisis

In the fall of 2015, the residents of the U.S. city of Flint, Michigan, were advised that their municipal tap water was unsafe to drink , and months later a state of emergency was declared. Nearly two years prior, in April 2014, the source of the city’s water supply had been switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The subsequent failure in monitoring and treating the highly corrosive Flint River water led to the severe degradation of water pipes and the leaching of lead and other harmful contaminants into the water system. Though complaints about water quality began almost immediately after the switch, a combination of poor governance, gross negligence, and systemic racism was responsible for a health crisis that endangered and damaged the lives of thousands.

Cape Town’s Water Crisis

Three years of severe drought, which started in 2015, left the South African city of 4.6 million people planning for “Day Zero,” the day when the city would effectively run out of water. Modeling suggests that climate change made this drought five to six times more likely. The unprecedented nature of this climate event was likely affected by anthropogenic climate change, but almost certainly made significantly worse by poor water management .  

Drought in the Horn of Africa

Six consecutive failed rainy seasons saw large regions of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia suffer the most severe drought in a generation. By August of 2022, more than 36 million people were affected, with more than 16 million living with daily household water insecurity. The severity of the drought was very likely made worse by climate change.

Devastating Flooding in Pakistan

In 2022, 33 million people were affected by floods that ravaged a third of the country and killed more than 1,000 people. The flooding severely damaged water infrastructure across the county, leaving nearly five and a half million Pakistanis without access to clean, safe water. Twelve years earlier,  Pakistan had been struck by similar flooding, which resulted in the displacement of 6 million people and nearly 2,000 deaths. Lessons that could and should have been learned, considering Pakistan has suffered from 30 major flood events since 1947, were never effectively translated into action. The lives of tens of millions have suffered as a result.

The Kakhovka Dam Disaster

The deliberate destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine provides a clear example of how water can be both a weapon and casualty of conflict. This intentional disaster on the Dnipro River—almost certainly caused by Russian forces —has led to water shortages for an estimated 700,000 Ukrainians . The aftermath of the dam collapse has created an ecological disaster that will affect the health and livelihoods of those in the region far into the future.

September 2023

Severe flooding in libya.

Extreme rainfall across the central and eastern regions of the Mediterranean led to catastrophic flooding and loss of life in Libya. The heavy rains caused the breach of two dams near the Libyan city of Derna, destroying much of the city. As of December 15, 2023, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates the death toll at 4,702 people , with at least 8,000 missing and more than 44,000 internally displaced. Political mismanagement and systematic failures of water infrastructure contributed significantly, aggravating the scope of the disaster and hampering the subsequent response.

Addressing water challenges—those of both a physical and experiential nature—will require concerted domestic and international contribution.

Without this, the significant threats to water and its related sectors will continue to fester, inflaming already tenuous states of instability around the world.  

V. The Challenges and Solutions to an Uncertain Future

The extraordinary burden of providing the world with enough clean water is matched by the difficulty of doing so sustainably and equitably.

In 2022, about 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water. About 3.4 billion lived without access to safely managed sanitation.

Recent progress toward increasing this access has been frustratingly slow.

As the world’s population increases in size and development, the demand for food, energy, and freshwater will grow with them.

The difficulty of providing these resources will also stress the industries and economies that rely most on freshwater resources.

Already, increasing groundwater depletion across the world is imperiling the lives and livelihoods of those that need groundwater for agricultural production. Simultaneously, water scarcity is having a negative impact on global energy production , and droughts are significantly disrupting global supply chains .

In facing these challenges, there are critical steps to take to protect future access to sustainable, equitable, and safe water:

Improved water governance is critical to the creation and maintenance of sustainable, resilient, and innovative water management. Specifically, proper governance can aid in reducing freshwater contamination , increasing water system efficiency , and prioritizing the infrastructure needed to provide consistent, safe, and affordable water across varying contexts.

Expanding the breadth and depth of information regarding all facets of water security is a prerequisite to effective water management. Across all levels—from the individual to the global — data collection, analysis, and access must be prioritized as the fundamental means of identifying emerging challenges and developing effective solutions.

Increased public and private investment is essential for the effective development and implementation of water security strategies. Investments in water infrastructure aid in bridging the cost gap between utility providers and consumers, particularly in water-stressed regions. Additionally, investment in technological innovations can help reduce the resource burden of the agriculture and energy sectors , reducing environmental impacts and improving economic returns.

Ultimately, there is no single answer to the global water crisis. Rather, our collective ability to address global water insecurity in all its forms— physical, economic, and experiential —will rely on coherent strategies that are as complex and interdependent as the challenges themselves.

Special Thanks

• Dr. Sera L. Young, Northwestern University
• Dr. Bhawani Venkataraman, The New School
• Brenda Leonard, Bush Radio
• David Michel, CSIS GFWSP
• Caitlin Welsh, CSIS GFWSP
• Gina Kim, CSIS iDeas Lab
• Katherine Stark, CSIS iDeas Lab

Established in Washington, D.C., nearly 60 years ago, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas that address the world’s greatest challenges.

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Residents queue to fill water bottles at a natural water spring in Cape Town, South Africa, a city that may soon have to shut off its taps due to a severe water shortage.

From Not Enough to Too Much, the World’s Water Crisis Explained

Many more cities than Cape Town face an uncertain future over water. But there are emerging solutions.

“Day Zero,” when at least a million homes in the city of Cape Town, South Africa, will no longer have any running water , was originally scheduled for April. It was recently moved to July . The three-year long drought hasn’t ended, but severe water rationing—limiting people to a mere 13 gallons (50 litres) per person per day—has made a difference. (To put this into perspective, an average U.S. citizen uses 100 gallons (375 liters) per day .)

“No person in Cape Town should be flushing potable water down a toilet any more.… No one should be showering more than twice a week now,” said Helen Zille , the premier of the Western Cape province, where Cape Town is located.

Like many places in the world, Cape Town and the surrounding region has likely reached “peak water,” or the limit of how much water can be reasonably taken from the area, says water scientist Peter Gleick , president-emeritus of the Pacific Institute. Gleick, who has spent substantial time in South Africa, says the country generally has good water managers.

“Two years ago, I would not have predicted Cape Town would face day Zero,” he said in an interview. However, climate change has disrupted the Earth’s hydrological cycle (water cycle), changing when, where, and how much precipitation falls. That has made water management planning far more challenging, he said. Yet our water systems were largely built based on the more stable climate of the past.

“What’s happening in Cape Town could happen anywhere,” says Gleick.

Global Risk

Brazil’s São Paulo, a megacity of 20 million, faced its own Day Zero in 2015. The city turned off its water supply for 12 hours a day, forcing many businesses and industries to shut down . In 2008, Barcelona, Spain, had to import tankers full of freshwater from France. Droughts have also become more frequent, more severe, and affecting more people around the world.

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Fourteen of the world’s 20 megacities are now experiencing water scarcity or drought conditions. As many as four billion people already live in regions that experience severe water stress for at least one month of the year, according to a 2016 study in the journal Science Advances . Nearly half of those people live in India and China. With populations rising, these stresses will only mount.

Disaster data compiled by the U.N . clearly shows floods are also getting worse. They are happening more frequently, especially in coastal regions and river valleys, and affecting more people. Of all major disasters in the world between 1995 and 2015, 90 percent were weather-related events, such as floods, storms, heatwaves, and droughts. Flooding accounted for more than half of all weather-related disasters, affecting 2.3 billion people and killing 157,000 in that 20-year period. Last year, the costs of extreme weather—floods, droughts, wildfires, storms—in the U.S. reached a record-topping $300 billion . These events displaced more than one million Americans from their homes.

Humanity is facing a growing challenge of too much water in some places and not enough water in others. This is being driven not just by climate change, but by population and economic growth and poor water management, experts warn.

“Water scarcity and flood problems are primarily due to quick growth, increasing vulnerability, and insufficient preparation,” says Arjen Hoekstra , a professor of water management at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. “Climate change, however, is and will worsen the situation in most cases.”

The Roll of “Embedded Water”

Cape Town, where nearly four million people live, has a dry climate much like southern California. It is facing it’s Day Zero due to increased water demands from population and economic growth in combination with a three-year drought that’s severely limited the water supply. Yet what many people don’t realize is that typical home use of water—for washing, flushing, and cooking—represents only about three percent of humanity’s total water consumption, says Hoekstra. Agriculture uses the lion’s share, 80 to 90 percent, followed by energy production and industry.

Rivers Run Dry

The Cape Town region is the heart of South Africa’s wine country, which exported 113 million gallons (428.5 million litres) of wine in 2016 to Europe and the U.S. Yet this export represents a much bigger amount of water that was used to grow and process the grapes. Most of that water is no longer available for human consumption, according to Hoekstra, who is the creator of the water footprint concept. He and colleagues at the Water Footprint Network have worked out that it takes between 26 to 53 gallons (100 to 200 liters) of water to grow the grapes and process them into one five-ounce (125 ml) glass of wine.

In other words, the net amount of water used to grow or make something, be it a lemon, cellphone, or glass of wine, is the product’s water footprint. Most of the water used to make a typical glass of wine is lost to evaporation, with a small amount stored in the grapes, and the rest unsuitable for reuse. While the evaporated water will eventually become rain, it is unlikely to fall over the same vineyards, or even in the Western Cape province, meaning it is effectively “lost” to the region.

So that means a typical 25-ounce (750 ml) bottle of wine has a water footprint of nearly 200 gallons (750 liters). That means the region’s 2016 wine exports involved the net consumption of 113.2 billion gallons (428.5 billion liters) of water. This is water that is lost to the region.

South Africa already has 7 million people without access to water . Meeting their needs would require 33.3 billion gallons (126 billion liters) per year, one third of the amount the wine industry consumes. On top of that, the Western Cape exported an estimated 231,000 tonnes of citrus fruits , mostly oranges, in 2017. The water footprint of one orange—the net amount of water used to grow it—averages 21 gallons (80 liters). Using that basis, those citrus exports used up 30 billion gallons (115 billion liters) of the province’s water.

Not only does it take water to grow anything, it also takes water to make most things: cars, furniture, books, electronics, buildings, jewelry, toys, and even electricity. This water, which often goes largely unseen, is often called “virtual water.” What gets forgotten is that virtual water is as real as the water you drink.

South Africa, a water-stressed country, also exports oil products, minerals, and metals, all of which require enormous amounts of water. For example, it exported 211 tonnes of platinum in 2012. That’s like an export of 45 billion gallons (170 billion liters) of water—the estimated amount of water needed to mine and process the metal .

Other large countries with growing populations, such as China and India, also export staggering volumes of virtual water, often while facing considerable water scarcity problems at home. “This simply can’t continue,” says Hoekstra.

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All of those exports could be produced using far less water, Hoekstra says. It starts with what he calls the most important water management strategy: grow and produce things in the right place. In other words, water-intensive crops like rice and cotton should be grown in water-rich regions.

In a global economy, drought can be a big issue even in water-rich countries, because of a growing dependence on imports. Around 38 percent of the European Union’s water consumption is reliant on water availability in other countries, to grow soybeans, rice, cotton, and other products that it imports. “That makes Europe vulnerable to increasing water scarcity and drought,” says Christopher Briggs , executive director of Water Footprint Network.

A coastal city, Cape Town hopes to solve its problem by getting a new water source: the ocean. It is building its first desalination plants . However, these are expensive and energy intensive. Gleick says it would be more cost effective for the region to shift to less-water intensive crops and to reuse treated wastewater. Currently, Cape Town reuses just five percent of its treated wastewater, compared to Israel’s 85 percent. Israel has also eliminated water-thirsty crops like cotton and made major improvements in water efficiency to free up more water for population growth.

California, which recently suffered through four years of drought and water restrictions , also needs to shift its agricultural production to less water-using crops, says Gleick, who is based there. And the state could increase its wastewater reuse from the current 15 percent, using the surplus to recharge depleted aquifers and use on crops.

A reservoir can be seen at a low level in Cape Town in February. Many other cities could suffer similar fates in the near future, experts warn.

When There’s Too Much Water

Perhaps ironically, too much water too fast was California’s most recent water problem. Following its worst wildfire season in history, heavy rainfall this winter produced mud slides that killed more than 20 people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes. Hurricane Harvey , which hit Texas and Louisiana last August, causing $125 billion in damage, dumped more water out of the sky than any storm in U.S. history. Some 890,000 families sought federal disaster aid, most often from flooding in the Houston area—in large part because many homes were built on flood plains . At the start of March, five states were under a state of emergency (Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, and Michigan) due to heavy rainfalls and flooding.

Rapid population growth, building on floodplains or low-lying coastal regions, and climate change are the biggest reasons why flooding is affecting more people and causing ever greater damage, warns Gleick.

Climate change is the result of burning fossil fuels and has added 46 percent more heat-trapping carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. But even if fossil-fuel used ended today, that additional heat in the atmosphere will put 10 times more Americans at risk of being flooded out by rivers over the next 20 years, a new study reveals .

“More than half of the United States must at least double their protection level within the next two decades if they want to avoid a dramatic increase in river flood risks,” says lead-author Sven Willner from Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

Rainfall changes caused by global warming will increase river flood risks across the globe, the study found. In South America, the number of people affected by river flooding will likely increase from 6 to 12 million. In Africa, the number will rise from 25 to 34 million, and in Asia from 70 to 156 million.

It bears repeating that these findings are based on the current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In reality, humanity added 45 billion tons in 2017, and will likely add that much or more in 2018. Without limiting human-caused warming to well below 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees Celsius), the river flood risk in many regions will be beyond what we can adapt to, Willner and team’s study concludes.

Climate change is also causing sea levels to rise, resulting in substantial coastal flooding during high tides and storms. More than 13 million Americans living on the coasts will be forced to move by 2100 because of rising ocean levels, according to a 2017 study by Mathew Hauer, a demographer at the University of Georgia. About 2.5 million will flee the region that includes Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Greater New Orleans loses up to 500,000 people; the New York City area loses 50,000, the study estimated. These coastal migrants will likely go to cities on high ground with mild climates, such as Atlanta, Austin, Madison, and Memphis. ( See what would happen if all the ice melted .)

“If people are forced to move because their houses become inundated, the migration could affect many landlocked communities as well,” said Hauer in a statement.

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Have we been talking about climate change all wrong?

Is building more dams the way to save rivers?

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108 Water Scarcity Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best water scarcity topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 good research topics about water scarcity, 🔎 interesting topics to write about water scarcity, ❓ research questions about water scarcity.

• Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions Common causes of water scarcity include overpopulation e in regions that have limited water resources, global warming, destruction of water catchment areas by human activities, and pollution of water sources.
• The Flint Water Crisis From Marxist Perspective To understand the causes of the crisis and ways to prevent such problems in the future, it is possible to employ the Marxist approach. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• The Himalayan Melting Glacier Contribution to Water Scarcity in Mount Everest Planetary phenomena such as the tilt of the Earth, its distance from the Sun, temperature, and atmospheric cycles belong to the first category.
• America’s Growing Clean Water Crisis and the Resulting Diseases The current water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has focused a lot of attention on the state of water infrastructure. Lastly, there will be a not adequate amount of water to help in dissolving the nutrients […]
• Factors of the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan The factors that caused the water crisis in this city can be considered negligence of the authorities, ambiguous and contradictory instructions of environmental protection agencies, and corruption.
• Environmental Racism: The Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan The situation is a manifestation of environmental racism and classism since most of the city’s population is people of color and poor. Thus, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is a manifestation of environmental racism […]
• Flint Water Crisis: Municipal Water Supply System The city of Flint was a thriving industrial center in the third quarter of the last century; however, it had economic difficulties due to the closure of several General Motors factories in the 1980s and […]
• The Flint Water Crisis and Its Impact The contaminated water has lead to a number of diseases and disabilities, which, in turn, has left the city’s population with a large number of healthcare bills. In conclusion, the Flint Water Crisis is an […]
• Water Scarcity in Africa and Mental Disorders Partially, the reason for the lack of meaningful changes in the policies preventing the causes lies in the social stigma towards patients with mental problems.
• Flint Water Crisis: Environmental Racism and Racial Capitalism The Flint crisis is a result of the neoliberal approach of the local state as opposed to the typical factors of environmental injustice; a polluter or a reckless emitter cutting costs. The two main factors […]
• Water Scarcity Problem in Sub-Saharan Africa Since the world has water in abundance, it is necessary that more be done to address the shortage of clean water.
• Newark Water Crisis: Water Pollution Problem The main problem was rooted in the fact that lead levels in the drinking water were highly elevated, which is dangerous and detrimental to the population’s health.
• Water Scarcity: Industrial Projects of Countries That Affect the External Environment With the demise of the Yellow River in China, the government started a project to transfer water from the Yangtze River to the northern plains of the country to support farming activities.
• Jordan’s Water Crisis and Response In particular, the facts about enmity with Israel exacerbate the local political situation, and in the face of the shortage of this valuable natural resource, the struggle for control over the Dead Sea becomes fiercer.
• Baja California Water Crisis and Its Impact The brewery that is being constructed near the cities of Mexicali and Gallegos by a large corporation is the example of the fact that the situation tends to worsen.
• How Saudi Arabia Can Overcome Economic Water Crisis? In Saudi Arabia, the water sector has undergone significant transformation as the government tries to mitigate water crisis. The problem of the economic water crisis in Saudi Arabia cannot be attributed only to natural causes.
• Water Crisis Resolution and Investments Based on the factors mentioned above, it could be said that the primary goal of the paper is to discuss the issue of the water crisis, as it is of paramount importance for the survival […]
• Water Crisis, Oceans and Sea Turtles Issues In the case of Mexico, it appears that the past regimes have never put a lot of focus on the utilization of water resources.
• World Water Needs: Water Scarcity Problem in Australia Water is one of the most critical resources that support the sustainability of life and the development of a country’s economy.
• Water Scarcity, Marketing, and Privatisation In a quick rejoinder, the report by the UNEP, excessive pumping of water from rivers and lakes to support agriculture threatens to dry up water sources.
• Water Crisis in the Documentary “Chinatown” Water is a critical commodity in the film because it motivates every character, causes conflicts, and affects the lives of the ranchers and farmers in the community. The movie explains why the water demands of […]
• Blue Gold: Global Water Crisis The issue of water is a global affair because of the alarming rate at which limited fresh water reservoirs is depleted. Globally, the amount of fresh water is dropping and it is believed that fresh […]
• Scarcity of Water in Saudi Arabia, Africa and Australia Moreover, the destruction of forests, the destruction of water catchments, and the pollution of fresh water sources have also played together in contributing to the reduction of water resources.
• Global Water Scarcity Causes and Solutions The water consumption patterns across the global vary making the water scarcity and depletion of its sources worse. Concentrations of these gases increase the temperature of the surface of the planet.
• Trend Analysis: Water Scarcity Issue This is a worrying aspect for the scarcity of water will lead to greater conflict for water. As agriculture is the sector that uses maximum water resources, with increase in population will face a dual […]
• Water Scarcity and Its Effects on the Environment The core objective of this research paper is to examine water scarcity and its effects to the environment. This is because sufficiency of water supply depends on water conservation methods, distribution channels available in the […]
• Pesticide Usage and Water Scarcity Water management is a tool for every person to reduce the water shortage. Increase in water price is likely to reduce the consumption as this reduces water wastage.
• Water Crisis in UAE Ali comments that “the consumption level of water exceeds the available sources” while Boberg asserts that “water is one of the resources that is scarce” made an analysis of the water crisis in UAE based […]
• Can Virtual Water ‘Trade’ Reduce Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Countries? The Case of Spain
• Water Stress, Water Transfer and Social Equity in Northern China: Implications for Policy Reforms
• Climate Change, Water Scarcity in Agriculture and the Economy-Wide Impacts in a CGE Framework
• Global Water Crisis and Future Food Security in an Era of Climate Change
• Economic and Social Impacts of the Water Crisis
• Rainfall and Human Density and Its Implications for Future Water Stress in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Water Management From Tradition to Second Modernity: An Analysis of the Water Crisis in Iran
• Creative and Innovative Solutions to Water Scarcity
• The Flint Water Crisis and Global Warming
• Electricity Prices, River Temperatures, and Cooling Water Scarcity
• Assessing the Economic Impact of North China’s Water Scarcity Mitigation Strategy
• Deficit Irrigation Under Water Stress and Salinity Conditions: The MOPECO-Salt Model
• Soil Water Content Criteria for Peach Trees Water Stress Detection During the Postharvest Period
• Future Water Scarcity in Computable General Equilibrium Models
• Using Radiation Thermography and Thermometry to Evaluate Crop Water Stress in Soybean and Cotton
• Coping With Water Scarcity: The Governance Challenge
• Estimating the Causal Effect of Water Scarcity on the Groundwater Use Efficiency of Rice Farming in South India
• Instruments for Understanding Agricultural Household Adaptation to Climate Change: Water Stress and Variability
• China’s Regional Water Scarcity and Implications for Grain Supply and Trade
• Environmental and Resource Costs Under Water Scarcity Conditions
• Relationships Between Normalized Leaf Water Potential and Crop Water Stress Index Values for Acala Cotton
• Australian Water Crisis for Demand and Supply
• Spinach Biomass Yield and Physiological Response to Interactive Salinity and Water Stress
• Clean Water Scarcity, Its Policy, and Conservation Measures
• Preventing the Last Drop: Facing the Water Crisis
• Water Scarcity and Its Effects on the Environment
• Drought and Water Scarcity Management Policy in England and Wales
• Food Security for Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Water Scarcity Limit the Options?
• Beyond Water Stress: Structural Adjustment and Macroeconomic Consequences of the Emerging Water Scarcity
• Groundwater Pollution and Drinking Water Scarcity
• Addressing China’s Water Scarcity: Recommendations for Selected Water Resource Management Issues
• Dealing With Water Scarcity: Need for Economy-Wide Considerations and Institutions
• Groundwater Markets Under the Water Scarcity and Declining Water Table Conditions
• Does Water Scarcity Shift the Electricity Generation Mix Toward Fossil Fuels? Empirical Evidence From the United States
• Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and Adaptation in the U.S. Fieldcrop Sector
• Evaluating the Crop Water Stress Index and Its Correlation With Latent Heat and CO2 Fluxes
• Water Crisis in India – Side Effect of Climate Change
• Local Water Stress Impacts on Global Supply Chains: Network Configuration and Natural Capital Perspectives
• Water Scarcity and the Impact of the Mining and Agricultural Sectors in Chile
• Land Use, Water Rights, and Water Scarcity in Manupali Watershed, Southern Philippines
• Farm Households’ Resilience Scale Under Water Scarcity
• Agriculture, Population, Land and Water Scarcity in a Changing World – The Role of Irrigation
• Water Scarcity – Future Uses and Implications for Policy
• Potential Benefits From Innovations to Reduce Heat and Water Stress in Agriculture
• Whole-Plant Metabolic Allocation Under Water Stress
• Iran’s Water Crisis: Inducers, Challenges, and Countermeasures
• Grape Composition under Abiotic Constraints: Water Stress and Salinity
• Interaction Between Light and Water Stress in Plants
• Causes Implications and Intervention Strategies: Water Scarcity
• Water Scarcity: Economic Approaches To Improving Management
• Which Country Suffers the Most From Water Scarcity?
• How Is Water Pollution and Water Scarcity Related in India?
• What Are the Characteristics of Water Scarcity?
• Does Water Scarcity Shift the Electricity Generation Mix Toward Fossil Fuels?
• Why Do So Many Countries Face Water Scarcity?
• What Is the Difference Between Water Stress and Water Scarcity?
• How Has Globalization Impacted Water Scarcity?
• Will Growing More Trees Help in Solving the Water Scarcity Problem?
• Is Water Scarcity a Growing Problem in the World?
• What Caused Water Scarcity in Australia?
• How Will Businesses Take Advantage of the Impending Water Scarcity?
• Can the Desalination Technics Definitively Solve the Water Scarcity Issue?
• How Can the Problem of Water Scarcity in the Hilly Region Be Solved?
• What Is the Nature of China’s Water Scarcity Problems?
• Has Any Country Overcome Water Scarcity Since 2000?
• Is Water Scarcity Directly Related to Energy Demand?
• What Are the Steps Taken by Governments to Solve the Water Scarcity Problem?
• How Should We Address the Worldwide Problem of Water Scarcity?
• Can a Wet Country Like Scotland Face Water Scarcity?
• Will Drought and Water Scarcity in India Become Serious Issues?
• Are There Any Steps Taken to Escape the Severe Water Scarcity in the Future?
• How Does Water Scarcity Affect People Around the World?
• What Is the Difference Between Physical Water Scarcity and Economic Water Scarcity?
• Can a Nuclear Fallout Cause Water Scarcity?
• How Does Water Scarcity Affect Poverty?
• Will House Prices Go Down in Bangalore in Coming Years Due to Water Scarcity?
• How Does Water Scarcity Affect Animals?
• What Is the Economic Impact of Drinking Water Scarcity in India?
• Are Solutions to Water Scarcity in the UK Environmental or Technological?
• How Is Water Scarcity Affecting the United States?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Essay on Water Crisis 500+ Words

Water, a life-sustaining resource, is essential for all living creatures on Earth. However, a water crisis is emerging as one of the most significant challenges humanity faces today. In this essay, we will explore the water crisis, its causes and consequences, and the critical need for sustainable solutions to ensure a better future for our planet.

The Growing Water Crisis

A water crisis refers to the scarcity of clean, fresh water needed for various purposes, such as drinking, agriculture, industry, and sanitation. It’s a global problem that affects people, ecosystems, and economies. According to the United Nations, by 2030, nearly half of the world’s population could be facing water scarcity.

Causes of the Water Crisis

a. Overpopulation : The world’s population is rapidly increasing, leading to higher water demand for drinking, irrigation, and industrial use.

b. Climate Change : Changing weather patterns, including prolonged droughts and more frequent extreme weather events, are affecting water availability.

c. Pollution : Water sources are often polluted by chemicals, sewage, and industrial waste, making water unsafe for consumption.

d. Wasteful Practices : Water wastage in agriculture, industry, and households contributes to the crisis.

Consequences of Water Scarcity

a. Health Issues : Lack of clean water leads to waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery, affecting millions, especially children.

b. Food Insecurity : Agriculture heavily relies on water, and water scarcity can lead to crop failures and food shortages.

c. Conflict : Scarcity can trigger conflicts over limited water resources, leading to tensions between communities and even nations.

d. Ecosystem Damage : Wildlife and ecosystems suffer as water sources shrink, impacting biodiversity.

Sustainable Solutions to the Water Crisis

a. Water Conservation : Responsible water use, fixing leaks, and using water-saving appliances can make a significant difference.

b. Improved Infrastructure : Building and maintaining water supply and sanitation systems can help reduce water losses.

c. Rainwater Harvesting : Collecting rainwater for household use and agriculture can mitigate scarcity.

d. Desalination : Technology to turn seawater into freshwater is an option for regions with limited freshwater sources.

The Importance of Education

Education plays a vital role in raising awareness about the water crisis. Schools and communities can educate people about responsible water use, conservation, and the importance of preserving our water resources. Students can become water ambassadors, spreading the message about the need to protect our water.

Global Efforts to Combat Water Scarcity

International organizations like the United Nations and NGOs are working to address water scarcity on a global scale. They provide funding, expertise, and resources to implement sustainable water management practices in affected regions. Collaboration between countries and communities is key to finding solutions.

Conclusion of Essay on Water Crisis

In conclusion, the water crisis is a pressing global issue that affects people, ecosystems, and economies. Understanding its causes and consequences is the first step in finding solutions. It is essential for individuals, communities, and governments to take action by conserving water, improving infrastructure, and supporting sustainable practices. Education and global cooperation are vital in our fight against water scarcity.

By working together, we can ensure that future generations have access to the life-sustaining resource of clean, fresh water. Water is precious, and its conservation is our collective responsibility. As we address the water crisis, we are not only securing our own future but also safeguarding the health and well-being of our planet and all its inhabitants.

Also Check: The Essay on Essay: All you need to know

Essay on Water Crisis

Students are often asked to write an essay on Water Crisis in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Water Crisis

The water crisis.

Water is a basic necessity, yet many people worldwide face water scarcity. It’s a crisis that affects both humans and the environment.

Causes of Water Crisis

The crisis is due to pollution, overuse of water, and climate change. Pollution contaminates water, making it unsafe. Overuse, especially in agriculture, depletes water supplies. Climate change causes unpredictable rainfall, leading to droughts or floods.

Impact of Water Crisis

The crisis affects health, agriculture, and economies. Without clean water, diseases spread. Crops fail without enough water, causing food shortages. Economies suffer as industries need water to operate.

Solutions to Water Crisis

Solutions include better water management, reducing pollution, and using water-saving technologies. Everyone can help by using water wisely.

Also check:

• 10 Lines on Water Crisis

250 Words Essay on Water Crisis

The global water crisis: an unseen emergency.

Water, the basic necessity for all life forms, is alarmingly becoming scarce. The global water crisis, often an overlooked issue, is a pressing concern that demands immediate attention.

The Root Causes

The water crisis has its roots in various factors. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation have led to increased pollution, making vast amounts of water unfit for consumption. Climate change, with its erratic weather patterns, exacerbates water scarcity by causing droughts and floods.

The Consequences

The implications of the water crisis are far-reaching. Water scarcity hampers agricultural productivity, leading to food insecurity. It also poses serious health risks as inadequate water often results in poor sanitation, leading to the spread of waterborne diseases.

Addressing the Crisis

Addressing the water crisis requires a multi-faceted approach. Conservation efforts, such as rainwater harvesting and wastewater recycling, can help augment water supplies. Governments and corporations need to enforce stricter regulations to curb water pollution. Additionally, investing in technologies for desalination and efficient irrigation can alleviate water scarcity.

The Role of Education

Education plays a pivotal role in crisis management. By raising awareness about the water crisis and encouraging sustainable water practices, we can collectively contribute to the solution.

In conclusion, the water crisis is a multifaceted problem that requires global cooperation and innovative solutions. As the custodians of our planet, it is our responsibility to ensure that this life-giving resource is available for future generations.

500 Words Essay on Water Crisis

Introduction.

Water, the most fundamental building block of life, is becoming increasingly scarce. The world is grappling with a water crisis that poses a significant threat to both human survival and the stability of our ecosystems. This crisis is not limited to developing countries or arid regions; it is a global problem that requires urgent attention.

The Global Water Crisis

The water crisis is a complex issue with roots in various socio-economic and environmental factors. Climate change is exacerbating the situation by causing unpredictable weather patterns, leading to more frequent droughts and floods. These extreme weather events can contaminate freshwater sources and disrupt the supply of potable water.

Simultaneously, population growth and urbanization are increasing demand for water. According to the United Nations, global water demand is projected to increase by nearly 30% by 2050. This demand, combined with inefficient water use, particularly in agriculture, is rapidly depleting our freshwater resources.

Consequences of the Water Crisis

The consequences of the water crisis are far-reaching. It affects not only human health but also food security, energy production, and social stability. Lack of access to clean water leads to poor sanitation, which in turn contributes to diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

Moreover, water scarcity can exacerbate social inequalities. Poorer communities often bear the brunt of the crisis, as they lack the resources to access clean water. This can lead to conflict and displacement, further destabilizing regions already under stress.

Addressing the Water Crisis

Addressing the water crisis requires a multifaceted approach that encompasses both technological innovation and policy reform. On the technological front, advancements in desalination, water recycling, and efficient irrigation systems can play a crucial role in augmenting our water resources.

Conversely, policy reform should focus on promoting sustainable water management practices. This includes enforcing stricter regulations on water pollution and incentivizing the efficient use of water in agriculture and industry.

The water crisis is a pressing issue that demands immediate action. As we continue to grapple with this global challenge, it is crucial to remember that water is not just a commodity; it is a fundamental human right. By harnessing technological innovation and implementing effective policies, we can ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe water. This will not only alleviate the immediate water crisis but also contribute to the broader goals of social equality and environmental sustainability.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Wastage of Water
• Essay on Uses of Water
• Essay on Save Water

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Water Crisis Essay

In this water crisis essay, we had describe about water crisis in details.

Water is the basic requirement for the survival and promotion of humans, animals, birds and vegetation.

Environmental pollution is a major cause of ‘water crisis’ as a result the underground layer increases rapidly.

In 1951, the per capita water availability was about 5177 cubic meters, this has now come down to around 1545 in 2011 (Source: Water Resources Division, TERI).

What is Water Crisis?

The lack of available water resources to meet the demands of water use within a region is called ‘water crisis’.

Around 2.8 billion people living in all continents of the world are affected by water crisis at least one month each year, over 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water for drinking.

Global Scenario of Water Crisis:

Due to increasing demand for water resources, climate change and population explosion, there is a decrease in water availability.

It is estimated that in the Middle East region of Asia, most of North Africa, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan and Spain, countries are expected to have water stress situation by 2040.

Along with this, many other countries including India, China, Southern Africa, USA and Australia may also face high water stress.

Status of Water Crisis in India – Water Crisis Essay:

In India, 330 million people or nearly a quarter of the country’s population are affected by severe drought due to two consecutive years of weak monsoon.

About 50% of the regions of India are experiencing drought like conditions, particularly in the western and southern states, with severe water crisis.

According to the Composite Water Management Index report released in 2018 by the NITI Aayog , 21 major cities of the country (Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad) and about 100 million people living in these cities are facing the severe problem of water crisis.

 12% of India’s population is already living under ‘Day Zero’ conditions.

Day Zero: In order to attract the attention of all people to limit and manage water consumption in the city of Cape Town, the idea of Day Zero was introduced so as to increase management and awareness of limiting water use.

Causes of Water Crisis in India:

The problems of water crisis in India are mainly indicated in the southern and northwestern parts, the geographical location of these areas that it receives less rainfall, the southwest monsoon does not receive rainfall on the Chennai coast.

Similarly, by reaching the monsoon in the northwest, it becomes weak due to which the amount of rainfall also decreases.

Monsoon uncertainty in India is also a major cause of water crisis. In recent years, due to the impact of El-Nino, rainfall has decreased, due to which a situation of water crisis has arisen.

The agricultural ecology of India is favorable for crops that require more water for production, such as rice, wheat, sugarcane, jute and cotton etc.

The problem of water crisis is particularly prevalent in agricultural areas having these crops, the state of water crisis has arisen due to the strengthening of agriculture in Haryana and Punjab.

Serious efforts are not made to reuse water resources in Indian cities that is why the problem of water crisis in urban areas has reached a worrying situation.

Instead of reusing most of the water in cities, they are directly discharged into a river.

There is a lack of awareness among people about water conservation, the misuse of water is constantly increasing; Lawn, washing of cart, leaving the bottle open at the time of water use, etc.

Efforts to Conserve Water:

Under the Sustainable Development Goal, water availability and sustainable management is to be ensured for all people by the year 2030, the following efforts for water conservation are being made to meet this goal as follows:

At present, the use of low water crops is being encouraged to reduce the excessive use of water due to the intensification of agriculture.

In the Second Green Revolution, emphasis is being placed on low water intensity crops.

Efforts are being made to conserve water through dams, the government is also taking help from the World Bank for dam repair and reconstruction.

Guidelines have been issued by the government for construction of water tanks under the water supply program during the construction of buildings in the cities.

The NITI Aayog has released the overall water management index to inspire the effective use of water in states and union territories.

Precautions to avoid Water Crisis:

High-water crops such as wheat, rice, etc. should be transferred from coarse grains because about one-third of the water can be saved using these crops.

Also, the nutritional level of coarse cereals is also high, the use of low-water crops should be increased in areas with less rainfall.

In recent years, such efforts have been made by the Government of Tamil Nadu, water consumption efficiency should be increased, as it is still less than 30% in the best cases.

Public awareness is essential for water conservation because problem of water crisis has risen, however in some areas of America with less water availability than in countries like India.

RELATED ESSAYS:

SAVE WATER ESSAY | WATER POLLUTION ESSAY | WATER CONSERVATION ESSAY

Conclusion for Water Crisis Essay:

Water is an important natural resource as it maintains all living beings on the earth.

 We use it for drinking and cooking, bathing and cleaning, surprisingly less than one percent of the total water supply is potable, but water pollution and misuse of water crisis lead to the ‘water crisis’.

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Sustainable water management and the climate crisis

This article is authored by tejashree joshi, head, environment & sustainability, godrej & boyce..

The unfolding climate crisis has cast a long shadow over our planet and brought sharply into focus the critical importance of conserving water. As global temperatures soar and weather patterns shift erratically, the stress on our water resources signals dire implications for ecosystems and people. Communities worldwide are confronting the realities of droughts, floods, and the resulting scarcities that compel mass migrations, disrupting lives and livelihoods. Studies predict that 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity as early as 2030.

With around 16% of the world’s population and just 4% of its freshwater resources, India is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. As per a report by Niti Aayog, 20 Indian cities could face severe water crisis by 2030 with 40% of India’s population not having access to drinking water. The El Nino phenomenon which began last year left more than a quarter of the country’s regions facing severe drought. A more recent example is the water crisis that escalated urban distress in Bengaluru, forcing numerous migrant workers to return to their hometowns and impacting production in water-intensive industries.

The ramifications of inadequate water supply extend far beyond mere inconvenience; they pose a direct threat to societal stability and economic prosperity. Inadequate access to clean water jeopardises public health, heightening the risk of waterborne diseases and further straining already overburdened healthcare systems. Adding to this the pollution that not only renders water unsafe for consumption but also exacerbates the loss of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems, further diminishing the capacity of these systems to support both, biodiversity, and livelihoods.

Beyond its societal impact, the water crisis also poses a formidable challenge to our industries. Agriculture, manufacturing, and other key sectors heavily reliant on water resources face imminent threats to their operations. As water scarcity disrupts supply chains and drives up production costs, businesses are compelled to reassess their strategies for long-term viability.

Sustainable water management efforts must be prioritized not only for ethical reasons but also for its pivotal role in ensuring business continuity. Addressing India's water crisis requires a multi-faceted approach that encompasses policy reforms, technological innovation, and community engagement.

Government intervention is crucial in enacting policies that promote responsible water usage, incentivize conservation efforts, and regulate industrial water consumption. Jal Shakti Abhiyan is a step in this direction. The practice of water pricing at its true cost is also a strategy that governments and industries should employ to curb industrial water consumption by assigning the right monetary value to the vital resource.

Another way to optimize usage and reduce waste is to investment in water infrastructure like irrigation systems and wastewater treatment. Public-private partnerships can further mobilize resources and extend support to small and medium-sized enterprises for adopting water-efficient practices. Encouraging the adoption of water-efficient technologies through subsidies can also accelerates progress and acceptance.

Community engagement is an indispensable component of water infrastructure development. It will ensure that projects align with the needs, priorities, and concerns of the local population. Furthermore, community engagement fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, leading to more sustainable and resilient solutions. ‘Arth Ganga’, a model of circular economy introduced by the government is an effective initiative that aims to engage with the community to achieve water security.

Last but not the least forging partnerships and sharing best practices help leverage collective expertise and resources to develop holistic solutions. A crucial aspect of this endeavour is the implementation of integrated recovery, reuse, and recycle systems, alongside effective groundwater recharging mechanisms. By embedding the principles of the 5 R process (redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle, recovery) into their operations, industries can significantly minimise their water footprint, thereby fostering a more sustainable production process. Integrated recovery, reuse, and recycle systems, alongside groundwater recharging mechanisms, are vital components of sustainable water management.

The theme for World Water Day, "Water for Peace," highlighted the link between water security and societal harmony. By prioritising water security, we are not only safeguarding our environment and livelihoods but also sowing the seeds of resilience and equity for our future generations. It’s important that we seize this moment and along with a collective commitment forge a sustainable and inclusive path forward, ensuring that this indispensable resource remains a source of life, prosperity, and peace for all.

This article is authored by Tejashree Joshi, head, Environment & Sustainability, Godrej & Boyce.

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• Water Scarcity Essay

Essay on Water Scarcity

Water is the basic necessity of every human being, but water scarcity is a major issue that is rising very rapidly in India nowadays. The problem has become so severe that in many states the groundwater has almost dried up and people have to depend on water supply from other sources. In addition, water is one of the most misused natural resources that we still waste. It is the central point of our lives but unfortunately, not our priority concern. 

Earlier, people understood the value of water and planned their lives around it. Moreover, many civilizations were born and lost around water, but today, in spite of having knowledge, we still fail to understand the value of water in our lives. 

Reasons for Water Scarcity

Mismanagement of water and the growing population in our country are the two main reasons for water scarcity. There are also a number of other man made disturbances that continue to rise. Besides this, some of the reasons for water scarcity are:  

Wasteful Use of Water for Agriculture  

India, an agricultural country, produces a huge quantity of food to feed its population. The surplus that is left, gets exported outside. 

It is not unknown that producing this much food requires a lot of water too. The traditional method of irrigation wastes a lot of water due to evaporation, water conveyance, drainage, percolation, and the overuse of groundwater. Besides, most of the areas in India use traditional irrigation techniques that stress the availability of water.

However, the technique of irrigation has changed during modern times and we provide water to plants using a sprinkler or drip irrigation.

Reduction in Water Recharges Systems  

Rapid construction that uses concrete and marbles may not let the rainwater get absorbed in the soil, but still, we install some mechanism in our houses so that we can hold the rainwater. Then we can recharge the groundwater.

Lack of Water Management and Distribution

There is a need for an efficient system to manage and distribute the water in urban areas. The Indian government also needs to enhance its technology and investment in water treatment. Besides, we should ensure optimization at the planning level.

Solutions to Overcome this Problem

Close the running tap.

 During dishwashing and hand washing people often let the tap run. These running taps waste thousands of liters of water per year. Therefore, closing the tap will reduce this problem.

Replace Dripping Taps  

In India, it is commonly seen that most of the houses have taps or faucets that go on dripping water even when they are closed. This running tap wastes up to 30,000 liters of water that nobody bothers to change. So, we should replace these taps immediately.

Brief on Water Scarcity  

Water is a basic necessity for every living being.  Life without water is impossible, not just for us humans, but for all plants and animals too. Water scarcity is an issue of grave concern these days as water scarcity has become very common. Water is one of the most wasted natural resources and corrective measures should be taken before the water scarcity situation becomes worse. In spite of being aware of the implications, not much is being done today. 

In India, and across the world, it has been recorded that about half a billion people face a shortage of water for about six months annually. Many well-known cities around the world are facing acute scarcity of water. Many facts and figures are available to know about the water scarcity problem, but what are the reasons for this scarcity? 

With the growing population, the use of water has increased manifold. The lack of more freshwater sources and the increase in population is a major reason for this scarcity. The lack of proper Water management systems and proper drainage systems in India, especially in the urban areas is a major cause too. Kitchen wastewater should be able to be recycled but due to a poor drainage system, this is not possible. An efficient water management system is required in order to distribute water in urban areas.

Another major issue is Deforestation. Areas with more greenery and plants are known to have good rainfall.  Industrialisation and urbanization are two major factors here. Due to Deforestation, and cutting down of trees, rainfall has become an issue too.

Rivers are a major source of fresh water in India. Today we see a lot of industries that have come up and all of them are mostly near the rivers and these rivers become highly polluted as a result of all the industrial waste.

Effect of Global Warming and Climate Change

Global Warming and Climate Change are also responsible for the scarcity of water. The melting of icebergs into the sea due to the rise in temperatures is a reason as to how salty water is increasing day by day instead of freshwater. The percentage of rainfall has decreased drastically these days. Climate change along with the decrease in rainfall percentage has greatly affected freshwater bodies. 

Water scarcity has become a major problem and an alarming issue these days, and we must consciously strive to work together to find some solution to this issue of water scarcity. The Indian government today has formulated and come up with many plans on how to tackle and solve this problem.

To conclude, water scarcity has become an alarming issue day by day. If we do not take the problem of water scarcity seriously now, our future generations are going to suffer severely and may even have to buy this necessity at a high cost.

FAQs on Water Scarcity Essay

1.  What are the reasons for Water Scarcity?

The lack of proper Water Management and proper Drainage system plays a major role. Many other factors and reasons can be held responsible for the scarcity of water. Some of the major reasons are Global Warming and Climate Change; Pollution of the rivers due to industrialization; Deforestation and the cutting down of trees is another reason; Reduced percentage of rainfall due to the climate change pattern; Increase in the population which leads to increase in the use of water.  Learn more about water scarcity on Vedantu website helpful for long-term.

2. What is meant by the scarcity of water?

The scarcity of water means a shortage of water and not being able to manage the demand and supply of water. Water scarcity refers to the lack of freshwater bodies to meet the standard quantity and demand of water. Unequal distribution of water due to factors like Climate Change and Global Warming. Water Scarcity is also due to pollution and lack of rainfall. Water scarcity means a scarcity due to some physical scarcity or scarcity due to the lack of regular supply.

3. What are the two types of water scarcity?

Physical water scarcity is the result of regions' demand outpacing the limited water resources found in that location. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, about 1.2 billion people live in areas of physical scarcity and many of these people live in arid or semi-arid regions. People who are affected by this Physical kind of water scarcity are expected to grow as the population increases and as the weather patterns keep changing as a result of climate change.

Economic water scarcity is due to the lack of proper water infrastructure and a proper water management system or also because of poor management of water resources. The FAO estimates that more than 1.6 billion people face economic water shortages today. Economic water scarcity can also take place because of the unregulated use of water for agriculture and industry.

4.  How can we solve the problem?

Conscious awareness is required to deal with and understand the problem of water scarcity. We can start off by consciously saving water in our homes and surroundings.  Small easy steps like taking care when washing hands, or when working in the kitchen, have to be taken. The running water taps are a major reason for losing hundreds of liters of water on a daily basis. And we should be careful not to waste this water. Conscious decision to save and the need to understand the problem of water scarcity is of utmost importance.

5. How do we waste water?

Water is wasted in ways we do not even realize, in our homes and in our workplaces. When we brush our teeth, when we shave or when we wash the dishes, one of the most common things we do is to keep the water running, especially when running water is available. As soon as we begin cleaning or washing, we do not think of the water that is being wasted. While washing hands, we leave the water tap on, which results in wasting water too. Small things like these should be kept in mind and this could be our small step towards preserving water.

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Water Crisis and Risk Management

Introduction, importance of addressing water crisis, the major risks of water crisis, how the risks are being addressed, how these risks can be managed on an ongoing basis, processes used for monitoring and evaluation, it’s the business responsibility to deal with these risks, reference list.

Water is one of the basic needs of the life on earth. It is consumed by human beings, animals for their survival and plants and agricultural products for their growth. Supplying adequate and /or potable water to the global population is the biggest task in the wake of growing industrial and domestic needs (Villholth 2007). The available water resources are becoming polluted due to various reasons such as pollution of water resources through improper and uncontrolled waste disposal, over-exploitation and misuse of water resources, improper and inadequate water resources management, improper coordination among the various agencies involved ranging from macro to micro scale, rapid urbanization, inadequate sanitation system, deposition of air pollutants, transport and leakages of pollutants in biosphere, leachate flow from uncontrolled solid waste dumpsites, and drainage from aquaculture farms. Water shortage is resulting in inadequate water supply and poor quality water supply and has led into problems among the members involved with.

Water crisis is an important area to be addressed as it is the worlds biggest problem affecting many lives. Globally, many people are suffering from lack of enough and pure fresh water. World’s water problems are significantly getting worse each day, and the world financial and credit issue is merely one reason why. Another reason is the ever growing modernization of the worlds major towns that leads to high demand for water, while polluting it at the same time. Furthermore, other parts of the world are also suffering from drought to an extent of it being declared a state of emergency. For instance, some parts of United States is experiencing drought, which has to the California Governor Arnold to declare a state of emergency recently because of the state has been suffering water crisis for now three years. Therefore, because of water crisis, a lot of money is being spent to rescue the lives of those people dying from lack of water.Unfortunatelly, nothing much is being done to rectify this issue despite the fact that water crisis has many negative issues on the country such as diseases, reduction on the economy and decrease in agricultural products (Zdzisław 1996).

According to Garrick (2003) a half of the people in the world are likely to suffer directly from a world water crisis within the coming forty five years. Water is most likely to be the biggest natural resource issue challenging most parts of the world. The world is not running out of water and it is not an existential risk. The risk is from inadequate conservation, distribution and quality of potable water, and pollution of freshwater and marine environments that impact ecosystems, food supplies, and human health. This is a problem that will worsen gradually over a period of years, and the problem is real and serious. According to the report by the United Nations, its estimated that about five million people are currently threatened by severe water shortages, and that this number is likely to rise up to five billion by the year 2050.For instance, Mexico City is consuming its underground water faster than it can be replaced.

Water crisis is also a political risk especially when a particular country puts restrictions on water consumption by other countries. For example, different countries like Congo and Gambia get most of their pure water from the river flow of hostile upstream countries. Syria and Iraq receive their pure water from the Tigris Rivers, which flow down from turkey. Unfortunately, turkey has proposed a series of dams that would decrease river flow; therefore, this water shortage is likely to cause political issues among these nations (Sullivan 2006).

Water crisis also results into paying more for less. Water has naturally been provided for free, cheaply, and it has been readily available. Sadly, the least expensive water source s are now being depleted, polluted, and world population and water demand is rising up very fast ,making water to be scarce leading to paying pay more for less.

Another major risk from water crisis is the health cost. This is the most common water related cost which is from the sickness and death. The related costs of sickness and death from water pollution are enormous, but because they are often borne by people with little or no market or political power, those in power and who manage water do not pay sufficient attention to these costs. Therefore, as the burden of such sickness and death affects mostly the poorer members of society, the cost as a proportion of their income is much higher than it would be in the developed world.

The global increase in water crisis is mostly likely to affect the economic status of many nations. The use of water sustainably provides sustainable economic benefits through good health and income generating activities, such as food production. Conversely, unsustainable water use imposes costs through health problems and reduced production leading to a decline in income. For example, in Aral Sea basin, the environmentally unsustainable use of freshwater resources for agricultural irrigation has led into a decreased lake water levels and quality severely. As a result, this had led into collapse of the fishing industry. Furthermore, the inefficient use of irrigation water in the semi-arid Areas led to Stalinization and a subsequent decline I agricultural production. Serious human health problems have occurred with wind blown dust contaminated by agricultural chemical residues.

There is also ecosystem cost risks, which occur as a result of water crisis. While pollution and excess water withdrawals cause significant damage to ecosystems in many areas in the world, which can be quantified in physical terms, it is very difficult to carry out calculations concerning the monetary value of such damages. For instance, reduction in fishing can be valued, because there is direct link between ecosystems and human income. In addition, health cost and productive effects from pollution related illness can also be approximated easily. However, decline in biodiversity is far harder to value. Therefore, these effects and cost occur, and sooner or later, reduce the goods and services that water provides to human. Hence, they have to be included in a political will to address the issues including corruption and inefficiency.

Both the quantity and quality of the available water are the critical aspects to handle the present and /or the future risks of water crisis. Proper treatment and disposal of wastewater are essential to sustain the ecological balance. Thus, measures to replenish the available water resources have been administered.These measures include river basin management and water conservation options that leads to the increase to the life of available water on earth. All these aspects are properly planned for and monitored regularly through the use of a comprehensive water resources planning approach. This approach is used from the conception, planning, designing, construction, and operation of facilities to control and utilize water with the national objectives of improving the quality of life of the people.

Another measure taken to address the risks of water crisis is through creating different departments to ensure the supply of the required water in different areas. For instance, water requirement for domestic, commercial and industrial sectors is planned for by the town planning sector. This is achieved through putting into consideration the population growth aspects and estimating water requirement factors. Also thorough survey is frequently administered with corporation from the respective departments like ground water department to check the availability of quantity and quality of the water. The information collected is often updated for planning purposes as stated by Sahuquillo (2005, p.90).

Risks from water crisis are also addressed through the provision of satisfactory treatment and supply of water as a way to meet public satisfaction. The provision of quality water by respective departments such as domestic, industrial, agricultural among others results into socio-economic development in the area, which leads to migration of population to the area causing the growth of several opportunities in the area for a prospective and healthy life (Russ 2009).

Globally, and particularly areas with scarce water resources, management of water resources is an issue because through sustainable use of this resource, many risks occurring from water crisis such as health problems, economic difficulties, and ecosystem problems are eliminated or reduced on an ongoing basis. Therefore, for proper management of this risks, development of capacity expansion in situ, redistributing of the existing water resources, emphasizing on the efficiency use of water resources, and water quality management will help to a large extent (Gupta 2008). To achieve this, emphasizes should be made on the importance of determining the existing and future demand of water resources, rational water use, comprehensive observation and assessment, effective supervision and provision of the necessary conditions for protection of related structures. If this is taken into consideration, emphasis is given to supply water in sufficient quantity and quality at the right time and place, relocating water according to certain priority among sectors, conjure use of surface and groundwater resources and environmental factors (Molden 2007).

In cases of water scarcity, creation of dams and reservoirs play a major part in a sustainable management of finite water resources (Gleick 1993). This is especially applicable to arid and semi-arid area, which for their economic development and population growth; they will definitely require dams and reservoirs for irrigation purposes and hydropower.

Specifying the risk concept in water supply systems is one f the processes that should be put in place. According to Garrick (2001, p.345) in water supply systems, drought is characterized by a high level of complexity. Risk in water supply techniques is directly associated with water scarcity, which is different from drought because it is linked to a shortage of water availability to meet human demands. Risk evaluation in water supply techniques comprises carrying out identification process on demands that may not be fully met with availability of water resources. It is not economically effective to satisfy at a hundred percent all the need in an area, because the expenses would be too high. Therefore, a set of practice indices, trying to calculate different aspects linked to ideas such as reliability and vulnerability, is used.According to Cubillo(2009,p.456) the availability in similar cases of many conflicting needs and the uncertainty associated with the real impacts of high events like droughts, make the risk assessment of water supply tools a problem that is better tackled through various indices by analyzing the probabilities of shortages of different entities (Cubillo 2009). Complexity of risk assessment in water supply needs simulation of the system to describe out by means of appropriate mathematical models. To achieve this, water demand to average inflow ratios should be considered.

Another process to be put in place is analyzing the acceptable risk rates, which is maintained by available water resources and infrastructures and rely on demand characteristics. According to Cortina (2006, p. 34) the risk analysis here should aim at the probability of not meeting the needs, and the period when the failures occur, and economic management during water scarcity. These factors determine the operational rules for system management during water scarcity. In regulated systems, supply of water capacity is based on operational rules and risk management measures.Relialbility is analyzed according to the place of the risk management unit. Up stream units need to consider also the risk of down stream units.

Numerous natural indicator of water scarcity should be monitored periodically to determine the onset of the water scarcity, end and spatial characteristics. Severity must also be evaluated on frequent time steps (Crouhy 1998).

Water crisis has many implications on business, therefore, business sectors are doing their best to ensure that water quality and quantity is at the right level or even increased through application of different measures to achieve their goal. Limited water can affect business, provision of raw materials, and the use of products in various manners. For instance, declines or distractions in water supply may reduce industrial and processing operations where water is needed for the production, manufacturing of materials, and cleaning practices (Cosgrove 2000). Therefore, business sectors have a responsibility to ensure that that water crisis risks are dealt with accordingly and at the right time for their businesses to prosper to higher levels without interruptions during manufacturing and production period.

Business has the responsibility to ensure that water crisis risks are reduced because these risks often lead to financial impacts. For instance, poor water quality results into additional investment and operational expenses for the pre-treatment and this affects the financial status of the business (Christie 2008).Limited water affects the precipitation pattern, which may affect hydro-based power production and any other power plant that runs steam turbine, as a result, less power is produced and the industrys financial status declines. For power to be generated there must be enough supply of cooling water. Therefore, businesses that rely on the energy from this power generating sources may be a high risk as there is no power due to water scarcity (Bauer 2010).

Decrease in availability and quality of water may lead to arise in competition for clean water causing tensions between businesses and the community especially in the developing countries. Communities may oblige to industrial water withdrawals and thus making the businesses to be affected significantly. Therefore, companies in different businesses need to take full responsibility in eradicating water crisis and the risks related to it for their businesses to proceed on well as required by various investors.

Always considered a classic renewable resource, after a hundred thousand years of farming and industrialization, rivers in many parts of the world are running dry and the ground water is also being overpumped.Thus, the rate at which water sources are becoming contaminated with human waste, industrial waste, and agriculture is at an alarming rate. Water crisis therefore, occurs from the insufficient use of water resources leading to its scarcity in many nations. In order to avoid transboundary conflicts concerning water use, involving every person who has an interest in a fair and orderly decision making procedures should lead to mutual problem solving instead of fighting among different interest groups.Therefore, in order to overcome this issue of water crisis, both the government and respective organizations and department should join hand and effort in creating public awareness on the sustainable use of water resource. Industries should take responsibility in ensuring that they provide water treatment exercises since they are the major causes of water pollution.

Bauer, O 2010 , Interstate Water Resource Risk Management: Towards A Sustainable  Future for the Aral Basin, USA, IWA Publishing.

Christie, R 2008, Quantifying and controlling catastrophic risks , Harvard, Academic Press.

Cosgrove, W 2000, World water vision: making water everybody’s business , Chicago, Earthscan.

Cortina, M 2006, Water crisis: myth or reality , NewYork, Taylor and Francis.

Crouhy, M 1998, Sustainability criteria for water resource systems , USA, ASCE Publications.

Cubillo, F 2009, coping with Drought Risk in Agriculture and Water Supply Systems:  Drought Management and Policy Development in the Mediterranean, India,  Press.

Garrick, J 2001, Risk management, New York, McGraw-Hill.

Gleick, P 1993, Water in crisis: a guide to the world’s fresh water resources , USA, Oxford University Press.

Gupta, R 2008, Water Crisis in India , USA, Atlantic.

Molden, D 2007, Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water  Management in agriculture , Chicago, Earth scan.

Russ, P 2009, Water Crisis , Yale, The Rosen Publishing Group.

Sahuquillo, A 2005 , Groundwater intensive use: selected papers , NewYork, Taylor and Francis.

Sullivan, G 2006, Risk Management: Safeguarding Company Assets, New York, Sullivan.

Villholth, K 2007, A gricultural groundwater revolution: opportunities and threats to  Development, Chicago, CABI.

Zdzisław, K 1996, Water resources management in the face of climatic/hydrologic  Uncertainties , New York, Springer.

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India’s Water Crisis – How to Solve it?

From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic

Water is the most valuable natural resource as it is essential for human survival and life on earth. However, the availability of freshwater for human consumption is highly under stress because of a variety of factors. This crisis of water scarcity is most visible in India as well as in other developing countries.

This topic of “India’s Water Crisis – How to Solve it?” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination , which falls under General Studies Portion.

What is water scarcity?

• Water scarcity is the lack of freshwater resources to satisfy water demand.
• It is manifested by partial or no satisfaction of expressed demand, economic competition for water quantity or quality, disputes between users, irreversible groundwater depletion, and negative effects on the environment.
• It affects every continent and was categorised in 2019 by the World Economic Forum as one of the largest global risks with respect to its potential impact over the next decade.
• One-third of the global population (2 billion people) live under situations of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year.
• Half a billion people in the world affected by severe water scarcity all year round.
• Half of the world’s largest cities have been facing water scarcity.

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How is the water scarcity measured?

• The absolute minimum water requirement for domestic usage is 50 litres per person per day, though 100-200 litres is often recommended.
• Considering the needs of agriculture, industry and energy sectors, the recommended minimum annual per capita requirement is about 1700 cubic meters .
• If a country like India has only about 1700 cu. meters water per person per year, it will experience only occasional or local water distress .
• If the availability falls below this threshold level, the country will start to experience periodic or regular water stress .
• If the water availability declines below 1000 cu. meters, the country will suffer from chronic water scarcity . Lack of water will then start to severely affect human health and well-being as well as economic development.
• If the annual per capita supply declines below 500 cu. meters, the country will reach the stage of absolute scarcity .

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What is the status of water availability in India?

• India receives 4000 bcm (billion cubic metres) rainfall each year. Out of this, 1869 bcm remains after evaporation = The actual availability is only 1137 bcm.
• Even in that 1137 bcm of water, there is a lot of temporal as well as regional variations in the availability.
• For instance, on the one side, there are water surplus states such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and on the other side, there are water scarce states such as Maharashtra (Vidarbha, Beed), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat.
• Moreover, some states that are known to be water abundant such as Punjab, Haryana have their own issues.

What is the magnitude of the water crisis in India?

• Currently, the annual availability of water is 1123 bcm in India and the demand is around 750 bcm. However, by 2050 the annual demand for water will be 1180 bcm which will exceed the water availability = wide ramifications for the country.
• 70% of India’s water is contaminated.
• 75% of households do not have drinking water on its premises.
• 84% of rural households do not have access to piped water.
• 54% of the country’s groundwater is declining rapidly than it is being replenished.
• India’s water table is declining in most regions. Also, there is a presence of toxic elements like fluoride, arsenic, mercury, even uranium in our groundwater.
• Water levels in India’s major reservoirs have fallen to 21% of the average of the last decade.
• Hundreds of small and seasonal rivers are perishing permanently.
• Almost all the major perennial rivers remain stagnant.
• Cauvery and its tributaries haven’t met the ocean for decades; the upstream dams choke its flows downstream, affecting people in Tamil Nadu.
• Krishna river runs dry in her delta region for most of the year.
• According to NITI Aayog’s water quality index, India ranks 120 th among 122 countries.

What is the recent water crisis in India?

• Maharashtra is facing a water crisis of unprecedented proportions. After years of drought, the river currents have ebbed, water in dams and reservoirs have depleted and over-exploitation of groundwater has raised concerns regarding the long-term availability of water.
• Meanwhile, media reports claim IT firms in Chennai are asking employees to work from home. The reason is that they don’t have enough water to sustain their operations. It hasn’t rained for almost 200 days in the city and it may not get adequate rain to get over the water crisis for the next 3 months.
• In North India, the people of arid Thar Desert of Rajasthan are spending Rs. 2500 for getting 2500 litres of water which they share with their cattle.
• With Punjab facing the threat of desertification and the state struggling to break away from the wheat-paddy cycle, farmers in the state have been adopting a decade-old scheme to utilise underground pipeline system for irrigation.
• In light of this crisis, Central government on its part has created a Jal Shakti Ministry under a full-fledged cabinet minister to resolve the water crisis but a lot more needs to be done.

What are the reasons for this crisis?

Monsoon dependence:.

There is a huge dependence on monsoon rains to replenish most of India’s important water sources such as underground aquifers, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs . But monsoon is vulnerable to factors such as climate change, El-Nino , etc.

Uneven distribution of water and Rainfall pattern :

Certain regions have surplus amounts of water for their need while others face perennial droughts for most of the year. For instance, Drought is a recurrent phenomenon in Andhra Pradesh where no district is entirely free of droughts. Rajasthan is one of the most drought-prone areas of India.

Increasing demand :

Population growth, industrialization, rapid urbanisation, rising needs of irrigation and increase in domestic water usage have accelerated the demand for water. Since urbanization increases in India at a rapid pace = water demand will increase rapidly as city dwellers consume more water than rural people.

Urbanisation & Water scarcity:

• Currently, about 285 million or 33% of India’s total population resides in urban areas. By 2050 this figure will reach 50%.
• Rapid urbanisation is adding to the water scarcity issue in the country.
• Presence of buildings, tar, and cement roads = even if a city like Mumbai gets good rains, the rainwater is not retained in the area as the water is not allowed to percolate underground.
• Therefore, water required for cities is largely drawn from neighbouring villages and far-off rivers and lakes = threatening the availability in those areas.
• Large cities also generate large quantities of urban sewage which pollutes the freshwater sources and ocean waters. However, only about 20% of urban wastewater is currently treated globally. In India, the figure is even lower.

Overexploitation :

• In developing countries like India, groundwater fulfills nearly 80% of irrigation requirement = resulted in a fast depletion of groundwater sources.
• Free power and inefficient utilisation of water by farmers has added to the issue of groundwater depletion.
• The groundwater and sand extraction from most river beds and basins has turned unsustainable.
• Tanks and ponds are encroached upon.
• Dug-wells and borewells are carelessly built to slide deeper and deeper to suck water from greater depths.

Shift to cash-crops:

Water is being diverted from food crops to cash crops that consume an enormous quantity of water.

Inefficient cultivation practices:

• In India, around 70% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood.
• Since the adoption of Green Revolution in the 1960s, nearly 50% of the food production comes from irrigated land.
• But inefficient cultivation practices have led to the flooding of fertile land which in turn has caused salinization, siltation of reservoirs, etc = causing groundwater reserves of major agricultural states to be depleted at an alarming rate.

Water Pollution :

• Release of industrial and domestic waste, including urban sewage, into rivers, lakes, and estuaries has polluted freshwater sources at an alarming rate in India = those fresh water sources are not fit for drinking or other activities.
• Eutrophication of surface water and coastal zones is expected to increase almost everywhere leads to nitrogen pollution .

What are the impacts of the water crisis?

Economic growth: A Niti Aayog report predicted that water demand will be twice the present supply by 2030 and India could lose up to 6% of its GDP during that time.

Power supply: Water shortages are hurting India’s capacity to generate electricity because 40% of thermal power plants are located in areas where water scarcity is high.

Agricultural crisis: Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoon (not dependable) + Ineffective agricultural practices in irrigated areas = Water stress in agriculture = Poor Cultivation = Farmer suicides .

Drinking water scarcity: Not only farmers are affected by the water crisis, urban dwellers in cities and towns across India are also facing a never seen before drinking water scarcity.

Conflicts over water : In India, there are conflicts between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing of Cauvery waters, between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh over sharing of Narmada waters, between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over sharing of Krishna waters, etc.

What are the measures taken by the government?

Across the country, states are taking the lead:.

• In Rajasthan, there is a scheme named ‘Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan’. One of its objectives is to facilitate effective implementation of water conservation and water harvesting related activities in rural areas.
• Maharashtra has launched a project called ‘Jalyukt-Shivar’, which seeks to make 5000 villages free of water scarcity every year.
• accelerating the development of minor irrigation infrastructure,
• strengthening community-based irrigation management and
• adopting a comprehensive programme for restoration of tanks.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan:

• It is a collaborative initiative of various Union Ministries and State Governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS).
• Focus Area: is water-stressed districts (256) and blocks (1592).
• Team: Central government officers, headed by joint secretaries and additional secretaries, are assigned to these 256 districts and district administration will also select 2 members to join the team. This team of officers from the central government and district administration will visit and work on water-stressed districts and blocks to ensure water conservation initiatives.
• The campaign is centered on 5 aspects
• Water conservation and rainwater harvesting
• Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks
• Reuse of water and recharging of structures like bore well
• Watershed development
• Intensive afforestation
• Significance: With this initiative, the government seeks to provide drinking water to all households on a priority and in a sustainable way. It is also expected to bring a positive mindset in people for water conservation. The campaign will assist people to work for rainwater harvesting, maintenance, and upkeep of ponds and village tanks and conservation of water.

Jal Shakti Mantralaya

• The government has created a new Ministry named ‘Jal Shakti’after merging Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• Providing clean drinking water,
• International and inter-states water disputes,
• Namami Gange project aimed at cleaning Ganga and its tributaries, and sub-tributaries.
• The ministry will launch the government’s ambitious plan (‘Nal se Jal’ scheme under jal jivan plan) to provide piped drinking water supply to every household in India by 2024.
• This Move seeks to consolidate the administration and bringing water-related issues such as conservation, development, management, and abatement of pollution under a single ministry.
• National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) is responsible for implementing the centrally sponsored national river conservation plan for all rivers across the country except river Ganga and its tributaries (as issues regarding Ganga and its tributaries are taken up by National Mission for Clean Ganga).

Jal Jeevan Mission *

Atal Bhujal Yojana *

•  It is a world bank funded central scheme that aims to improve groundwater management at the national level… Read More .

Can a new water ministry tackle the worst water crisis in Indian history?

• Experts are of the opinion that an exclusive ministry can only bring about a cosmetic but not a real change.
• Water is a state subject = Unless states make specific requests the centre cannot intervene.

What are the solutions to the water crisis in India?

Good water management practices :

• India receives adequate annual rainfall through the south-west monsoon. However, most regions of the country are still water deficient mainly because of inefficient water management practices.
• Rainwater harvesting should be encouraged on a large scale, especially, in cities where the surface runoff of rainwater is very high.
• Roof-top rainwater harvesting can also be utilised to recharge groundwater by digging percolation pits around the house and filling it with gravel.
• Indian cities need to learn from Cape Town of South Africa which when faced with the water crisis in 2018 had announced “ Day Zero “. During that day, water-taps in the city turned off = people had to use communal water-taps to conserve water. Restrictions on water use per person were also fixed.
• Since water is a state subject in India state governments should take active measures and create awareness for the minimal use of water.

Interlinking of rivers :

• Interlinking of rivers is a topic that has been discussed and debated for several years as a possible permanent solution to the water crisis in the country.
• The 3 primary advantages mentioned in favour of the scheme are (1) droughts will never occur (2) there will be no more floods in the major rivers and (3) an additional 30,000 MW of hydropower will be generated.

Coordination in aquifer usage: There is an urgent need for coordination among users for aquifers. There should be laws and contracts for sharing of aquifers. Groundwater aquifer mapping has started only recently in India which is a welcome step.

River basin authority: There should be a River Basin Authority for sharing information among states since most of the rivers in India pass through different states.

Coordinated efforts among states for management of groundwater at a localized level.

Community-level management: At the village level, there can be decentralized management of water at the community level.

Charging money for efficient use of water (like electricity). For example- Water ATMs at Marathwada provide water @25 paisa per litre a day.

Good Cultivation practices:

• Changing the cropping pattern, crop diversification and encouraging water use efficiency in agriculture by moving towards food crops from cash crops.
• Innovative farming practices like precision farming , zero budget natural farming , etc. could be employed for efficient water utilisation.

Incentive-based water conservation in rural parts of the water-stressed regions is another solution.

• For example, if a particular level of groundwater level is maintained, higher MSP can be provided to the farmers of that region.
• MSP can also be provided based on crop’s water usage = Crops that consume a high amount of water will get less MSP.

Way forward

India is not a water deficit country, but due to severe neglect and lack of monitoring of water resource development projects, many regions in the country face water stress from time to time. Therefore balancing water demand with available supply is the need of the hour for future economic growth and development as well as for the sustenance of human life.

New National Water Policy (NWP)

In November 2019, the Ministry of Jal Shakti had set up a committee to draft the new National Water Policy (NWP). This was the first time that the government asked a committee of independent experts to draft the policy.

Highlights of NWP

1) demand-side: diversification of public procurement operations.

• Irrigation utilizes 80-90% of India’s water , most of which is used by rice, wheat, and sugarcane.
• Therefore, crop diversification is the single most crucial step in addressing India’s water crisis.
• The policy recommends diversifying public procurement operations to include Nutri-cereals, pulses, and oilseeds.
• This would incentivize farmers to diversify their cropping patterns, resulting in huge savings of water.

2) Reduce-Recycle-Reuse

• Reduce-Recycle-Reuse has been suggested as the basic mantra of integrated urban water supply and wastewater management, with the treatment of sewage and eco-restoration of urban river stretches, as far as possible via decentralised wastewater management.
• All non-potable use like flushing, fire protection, vehicle washing should mandatorily shift to treated wastewater.

3) Supply-side measure: Using technology to use stored water in dams

• Within supply-side options, the NWP points to trillions of litres stored in big dams, that are still not reaching farmers.
• NWP recommends how the irrigated areas could be considerably expanded at very low cost by using pressurised closed conveyance pipelines, in addition to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)  systems and pressurised micro-irrigation.

4) Supply of water through “nature-based solutions”

• The NWP places major importance on the supply of water via “nature-based solutions” like the rejuvenation of catchment areas, to be incentivised through compensation for ecosystem services.
• Specially curated “blue-green infrastructure” like rain gardens and bio-swales, restored rivers with wet meadows, wetlands constructed for bio-remediation, urban parks, permeable pavements, green roofs etc are suggested for urban areas.

5) Sustainable and equitable management of groundwater

• Information on  aquifer boundaries , water storage capacities and flows provided in a user-friendly manner to stakeholders, assigned as custodians of their aquifers, would allow them to create protocols for effective management of groundwater.

6) Rights of Rivers

• The NWP accords river protection and revitalisation prior and primary importance.
• Steps to restore river flows include: Re-vegetation of catchments, regulation of groundwater extraction, river-bed pumping and mining of sand and boulders.
• The NWP outlines a process to draft a  Rights of Rivers Act,  including their right to flow, to meander and to meet the sea.

7) Emphasis on water quality

• The new NWP considers water quality as the most serious un-addressed issue in India today.
• It proposes that every water ministry, at the Centre and states,  include a water quality department.
• The policy advocates adoption of state-of-the-art, low-cost, low-energy, eco-sensitive  technologies for sewage treatment.
• Widespread use of  reverse osmosis has led to huge water wastage  and adverse impact on water quality.
• The policy wants  RO units to be discouraged  if the total dissolved solids count in water is less than 500mg/L.
• It suggests a  task force on emerging water contaminants  to better understand and tackle the threats they are likely to pose.

8) Reforming governance of water

• The policy makes radical proposals for improving the governance of water, which suffers from three kinds of issues: That between irrigation and drinking water, surface and groundwater, as also water and wastewater.
• Government departments, working in silos, have generally dealt with just one side of these binaries.
• Dealing with drinking water and irrigation in silos has meant that aquifers providing assured sources of drinking water dry up because the same aquifers are used for irrigation, which consumes much more water.
• And when  water and wastewater are separated in planning,  the result is a fall in water quality.

9) Creation of National Water Commission

• The NWP also suggests the creation of a unified multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder National Water Commission (NWC), which would become an exemplar for states to follow.
• Governments should build enduring  partnerships with primary stakeholders of water , who must become an integral part of the NWC and its counterparts in the states.

How Gujarat transformed from Water-deficit state to surplus state?

• The Gujarat government created the state-level Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG) to aid in the supply of services and solutions for the deployment of map-based GeoSpatial Information Systems.
• Micro-level check dams.
• Macro-level projects particularly in the Saurashtra, Kutch, and North Gujarat areas.
• Gujarat launched the Kutch branch canal from the Narmada Main canal, which helps provide water to the most distant parts.
• Sujalam Sufalam Yojana: to irrigate the areas of North Gujarat.
• The SAUNI Yojana (Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation Yojana), which means literally “reincarnation of the Narmada River in the region,” was thus introduced.
• Administrative and Governance reforms.

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Future of Food

Excellent essay indeed!

Great explanation.

worth a praise! well done :)

Wish you could mention the references for all the statistics and facts.

Please add features to include this article in PDF.

Where are effects🙄

Haven’t you seen the impacts heading in this article?

Great explanation and essay. This is exactly what I have been searching for.

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Essay on “Water Crisis in Pakistan and its Remedies” for CSS, PMS, Judiciary Examinations

• August 30, 2021
• Essay for CSS PMS and Judiciary Exam

This is an essay on “Water Crisis in Pakistan and its Remedies” for CSS, PMS, and Judiciary Examinations. Pakistan’s big arguably, biggest — problem is water scarcity. The country faces acute water scarcity by 2025 and will be the most water-stressed country in South Asia within two decades. Almost 30 million Pakistanis have no access to clean water. Find below the complete Essay on the water crisis in Pakistan and its remedies.

World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) report

Causes of the water crisis

• No dams construction
• Dispute between the provinces
• Demands of Sindh
• Punjab’s role
• Lack of proper water management
• Climate change
• Mismanagement of resource

Indian propaganda since 1947

• Standstill Agreement
• Role of the president of the World Bank
• Indus Basin Treaty 1960
• Wullar Barrage (The Tulbal Navigation Lock)
• Kishanganga Project
• Baghlihar Dam

Sources of Water

• Indus River
• Closed basin Kharan desert
• Makran coastal basin
• Water reservoirs/ capacities
• Terbela dam reservoir
• Mangla dam reservoir
• Chashma barrage reservoir
• Utilization of water
• Power generation

Water and Agriculture

Impact on Economy

Recommendations for Water Crisis

• Kalabagh dam
• Thal reservoir
• Raised Mangla dam
• Gomalzam dam
• Water management
• Use of alternative sources of energy

Essay on “Water Crisis in Pakistan and its Remedies” for CSS, PMS, Judiciary Examinations

According to the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB), Pakistan is one of the most “water-stressed” countries in the world; it is likely to face an acute water shortage over the next five years due to lack of water availability for irrigation, industry and human consumption. A WB report states that the water supply in Pakistan has fallen from 5,000 cubic meters per capita to 1,000 cubic meters in 2010, and is likely to further reduce to 800 cubic meters per capita by 2020. Contributory factors consist of an increase in population, climate change, lack of a solid vision to construct water reservoirs, and misplaced use of Jhelum and Chenab rivers by India under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960 that has resulted in reduced flow of water to Pakistan.

The water crisis has two dimensions. First is the distribution of water among the four provinces, particularly between Punjab and Sindh. The second is between Pakistan and India arising because of utilizing water from the Chenab and Jhelum rivers. The first problem basically arises from the second one.

India got the right to fully utilize water from the three eastern rivers; Ravi, Bias, and Sutlej, while Pakistan was to utilize water from the three western rivers; Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). India was also permitted limited irrigation of 1,343 million acres (2.85 MAF) from western rivers. Water for Pakistan was not quantified. However, it is implied in the treaty that India is not to exceed the specified limit for water utilization. If India continues with its current strategy of building dams on the Chenab and Jhelum rivers, then there would be serious implications for Pakistan’s agriculture and national security. It would aggravate the already strained relationship between the two countries, which is due to the unresolved Kashmir issue.

A very strong perception exists in Pakistan that India in its quest to utilize water from Chenab and Jhelum rivers and is not fulfilling its obligations under the IWT. It wants to constrict the flow of water to Pakistan. This strategy has a hidden political agenda to create scarcity of irrigation water that would hurt Pakistan’s economy and agriculture sector in between 10-15 years. The national interests of both countries would be best served if India honored its comn1ittnents under the IWT. But, is India ready to address Pakistan’s concerns or wants to safeguard its own interests by violating the IWT that could lead to worsening of relations between the two countries?

The Water Crisis at the National Level Exists due to the following reasons:

•  In the past, the public leadership did not succeed to develop a consensus on the construction of huge water reservoirs, particularly the Kalabagh dam that could have addressed many of the power and water problems that are being faced today.
• Provinces are in dispute over their respective share of water under the IWT, with particular reference to utilizing water for Kharif and Rabi seasons through link canals managed by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa). Irsa has stopped satisfying Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces over the distribution of irrigation water for the current Rabi season because of a 34.0 percent shortage of water, primarily due to the construction of the Baglihar dam on Chenab. Water supply would be further constricted because of the planned construction of the Basrur multipower project, Siwalkot dam, and Pakot Dul dam on Chenab river by India. Unless resolved it would continue to be a recurring problem.
• The Sindh Assembly has demanded scrapping the Hydropower project on the Chashma Jhelum link canal, a key project for the Punjab government . There is a strong perception in Sindl1 that the project would constrict the flow of water to the province and hurt its agriculture as well.
• Punjab 1s accused of stealing 16,000 cusecs of water between Taunsa and Guddu, from 2nd to 4th Feb 2010. The Punjab government claims that system losses are to blame for the water that has disappeared.
• Because of an absence of proper water management essentially at the secondary canal level, water crisis, particularly at the lower parts of these canals, is very evident. Coupled with flood irrigation, either irrigation by flooding basins or using the old Punchoo system, the water crisis keeps on increasing its intensity day by day. IRSA has no telemetry system and we cannot decide to distribute water by going beyond letter sense and include the spirit of the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991, we do not see an end to this water crisis in Pakistan.

As far as the scarcity of water in Pakistan is concerned, apparently, it has also to do with:

1. Climatic changes

2. Negligence and mismanagement of water resources by successive governments in Pakistan

Global warming has led to the melting of the Himalayan glaciers and consequent depletion in the flow of water into the Indus River system. The trend is likely to continue with rising temperatures. It is not that only the agricultural sector, the backbone of Pakistan’s economy , is suffering; due to depleting water supply, there is reduced power generation from the hydroelectric plants, having a devastating impact on the country’s industries too. Pakistan has no control over nature. However, it can improve the management of water resources. Pakistan needs to address the following problems on an urgent basis:

• The silting of dams and barrages is a continuous process. Due to heavy sediments carried by the rivers, Tarbela, Mangla and Chasma Dams have lost nearly 25% of their capacity.
• An estimated 40% of the water that runs through canals is lost because of seepage. The reason is the canal beds and banks are unlined, poorly lined, or porous.
• Traditional and antiquated agricultural techniques lead to excessive loss of water.
• While water-intensive varieties of crops, like sugarcane and rice, are cultivated. Optimum crop rotation is imperative but is not done effectively.

On 2 June 2008, Pakistan’s National Economic Council met under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and approved the development strategy based on the Medium Term Development Framework 2005-10. The water sector part of the overall strategy concentrates on water augmentation, water conservation, and effective use of water. It calls for the development of additional medium and large-size reservoirs with priority.

The water storages to be completed, by 2016 include Akhori Dam, Basha-Diamer Dam, Kalabagh Dam, and Munda Dam. Simultaneously the ongoing projects such as raising the structures of Mangla Dam, Gomal Dam, Satpra Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam, and Sabakzai Dam are also to be the top priority. The Medium-Term Development Framework 2005-10 also envisages a number of other measures, including reclamation of land from waterlogging and salinity, improvement of watercourses and ground-water management, etc.

Last year, 20 different UN bodies had warned; “Water is linked to the crisis of climate change, energy and food supplies and prices, and troubled financial markets. Unless their links with water are addressed and water crises around the world are resolved, these other crises may intensify and local water crises may worsen, converging into a global water crisis and leading to political insecurity and conflict at various levels”.

In a recent report, the United Nations has estimated that Pakistan’s water supply has dropped from about 5,000 cubic meters per person in the 1950s to about 1,420 cubic meters. Any further drop would seriously jeopardize economic growth and would be a health hazard. Notwithstanding Indus Basin Treaty, The need for effective international cooperation among riparian countries is greater now than ever before. The demand for water in all countries is escalating and increasingly the harmful effects of activities in upstream countries are being observed. Over a third of the 200 international river basins, are not covered, by an international agreement; only some 30, including Pakistan and India, have co-operative institutional arrangements.

Clearly, efforts are needed to formulate and reach an agreement on an international “code of conduct” or convention in the utilization of shared water basins so that the water needs of some countries are not undermined by irresponsible utilization of water resources by others. Improved international co-operation is also necessary regarding the transfer of knowledge and technology in the water resources field. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, 1998, sets the standard for all agreements involving the shared use of trans boundary water, resources.

It specifically establishes the dual criteria of “equitable and reasonable utilization”‘ of the water resources and the need to “exchange data and consult on the possible effects of planned measures on the condition” of the water resource. The U.N. Convention provides the overall framework for Transboundary water sharing.

The partition of the South Asian Subcontinent on 14 August 1947 into the dominions of India and Pakistan gave birth to a host of problems, including that of the sharing of waters of the mighty Indus River System. The issue was of concern to Pakistan because the headworks of the rivers that irrigated Pakistan’s Punjab province mostly went to the Indian side. On 30 December 1947, Pakistan and India concluded a ‘Standstill Agreement’ for a three-month period under which Pakistan continued to receive water supply from the headworks of Madhopur on River Ravi and Ferozepur on River Sutlej, the two tributaries of River Indus. As the interim arrangement ended on 31 March 1948, the next day the Government of Indian Punjab stopped the supply of water to Pakistan from the Madhopur headwork, affecting, according to one estimate, 5.5% of Pakistan’s irrigated area.

Pakistan raised the issue at the Inter-Dominion Conference held on 3-4 May 1948. India dismissed Pakistan’s claim over water, from the headworks on its side as a matter of right but agreed to release water as a provisional arrangement. It was thus abundantly clear that slowly and gradually the quantity of water would be reduced. In 1951, David Lilienthal, who had formerly served as Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority and as Chairman of the US Atomic Energy Commission, undertook a research tour of Pakistan and India for writing a series of articles. In one of his articles, he opined that it would be very beneficial for the region if the two countries cooperated to jointly develop and operate the Indus Basin river system. He further suggested that the World Bank might play its role in bringing India and Pakistan to agree on some plan to develop the Indus river system for mutual benefit.

President of the World Bank, Eugene Black, picked up the idea and offered his good offices to resolve the issue of water sharing between India and Pakistan. The two neighbors welcomed the initiative and after tough bargaining during the protracted negotiations that spread, over nine years arrived at the contours of the agreement. Broad parameters thus settled the work of drafting began. Finally, m September 1960, President of Pakistan Field Marshall Mohammad Ayub Khan and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru signed the Indus Water Treaty in Karachi.

Following are the provisions of the Indus Basin Treaty 1960

• Pakistan surrendered three eastern rivers, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas to India with some minor rights to Pakistan.
• Largely three western rivers namely Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab remained with Pakistan.
• India was allowed to use water from the western rivers for irrigation of 642,000 acres of land that were already being irrigated from these rivers along with an entitlement to further irrigate 701,000 acres for crops.
• India was also given specified entitlement for ‘other’ storage, including, power and flood storage i.e., storage for non-consumptive purposes.
• Pakistan was to meet the requirements of its eastern river canals from the western rivers by constructing replacement works.
• Both parties are bound to. regularly exchange flow data of rivers, canals, and streams.
• A Permanent Indus Water Commission, with one Commissioner from each side, was to be set up to resolve issues.
• The procedures were set out for settlement of ‘questions’ ‘differences’ and ‘disputes’, bilaterally and through neutral experts and International Court of Arbitration as the case might be.

Since Pakistan required considerable time to build the necessary infrastructure to divert water from western rivers to eastern rivers and their canals on its side, India was to allow the ‘historic withdrawals’ on the part of Pakistan during the transitory period. According to the Treaty, two dams (Mangla on River Jhelum and Tarbela on River Indus) were to be built It also envisaged five barrages Maraia and Qadirabad on River Chenab, Sidhnai on River Ravi, Rasul on River Jhelum, Chashma on River Indus, and Mailsi on River Sutlej. Besides, one siphon and seven link canals (Rasul-Qadirabad on Rivers Jhelum-Chenab, Qadirabad-Balloki on Rivers Chenab-Ravi, Balloki-Suleimanki II and Sidhnai-Mailsi on Rivers Ravi-Sutlej, Chashma-Jhelum on Rivers Indus-Jhelum and Trimmu-Sidhnai on Rivers Indus-Ravi), to be constructed in Pakistan.

To meet the financial cost, India was to pay a fixed amount of US $ 62.060 million over a period of ten years. An international consortium pledged the US $ 900 million. The World Bank was to administer the Indus Basin, Development Fund. The Indus Basin Project was completed despite all hurdles those included opposition and reservations from many quarters in Pakistan who felt that Pakistan’s rights as a lower riparian state had been compromised. This amounted to a successful resolution of a major dispute over the world’s largest, contiguous irrigation system with a command area of about 20 million hectares.

Although the Indus Water Treaty has been a remarkable success story, lately some projects are undertaken by India in the Occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir from where the western rivers flow into Pakistan have become major irritants and raised serious concerns in Pakistan:

India has embarked upon the construction of a huge network of water storage facilities, the national river linking project at an estimated cost of $120 bn likely to be completed by 2016. It includes the construction of the Basrur multi-power project, Siwalkot dam, and Pakot Dul dam on Chenab, in addition to the already constructed Baglihar dam. In 1985, India started construction of a barrage known as ‘Wullar Barrage (The Tulbal Navigation Lock)’ some 439 feet long and with a lock at the mouth of Wullar Lake, the largest freshwater Lake in Indian occupied, disputed, and held territory.

Purportedly but not so innocently, the stated purpose of the barrage was to make possible navigation in a 22 km stretch between the towns of Sopore and Baramula, during the lean winter season by regulating the flow of the River Jhelum. Pakistan raised objections to this project and the construction work halted in 1987. Pakistan contends that India cannot store water in excess of 0.01 MAF as ‘incidental storage’ on River Jhelum. Pakistan also apprehends that the Wullar Barrage may cause damage to its own project of linking Jhelum and Chenab with the Upper Bari Doab Canal. One important concern of Pakistan, which is extraneous to the Indus Water Treaty but squarely a security issue, is that in case of war between the two countries, India would take advantage of its ability to control the flow of water and make the crossing of the river easy or difficult according to strategic and tactical military requirement.

India, as usual, but erroneously contends that the Wullar Barrage would regulate the flow of water into Jhelum and control the floods. It would not reduce the overall quantum of water flow rather increase it during the lean winter season. All fair weather pretension and an obvious ruse, to get away with an extremely hurtful project to Pakistan. The project’s impact, India asserts, would be beneficial to Mangla Dam in power generation and to Pakistan’s triple canal system due to the regulated flow of water. The matter remains unresolved.

Outrageously on the Kishanganga Project, the Indians hawk on the premise that it will ostensibly bring water from River Kishanganga to Wullar Lake, where a hydroelectric power station is proposed. The project envisages the construction of a channel and a tunnel for this purpose. Simultaneously to build a dam, near the place where River Kishanganga crosses the Line of Control to enter Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where it is known as Neelum.

Here Pakistan plans to construct a 969 MW-capacity Neelum-Jhelum Power Plant with Chinese assistance. The Pakistani project is to going to be completed in 2017, due to a delay in construction work. Pakistan is genuinely concerned and fears that the Kishanganga Project would lead to a shortfall of water flow into Neelum, reducing its power generation by an estimated 9%. The Indus Water Treaty does not bar any party from storing water for power generation as per entitlement.

However, there is the principle of prior appropriation enshrined in the Treaty. India intends to complete the Kishanganga Project by 2016 to avail the opportunity of diverting K.ishanganga’a water to Wullar Lake before Pakistan is able to invoke the provision of prior appropriation. India also claims that Pakistan need not worry because the water diverted by the l<ishanganga Project would reach Pakistan through River Jhelum, no matter Neelum-Jhelum project suffers.

In 1999, India began construction work of 470-feet high, 317 meters wide Baghlihar Dam, also known as Baghlihar Hydroelectric Power Project, oh River Chenab in Doda District of Indian occupied Kashmir. Although India called it a run-of-the-river project, the dam was to have a ‘pond age’ of 15 million cubics! Deters with submerged gated spillways.

Pakistan raised objection to the project design on the ground that the submerged gate ‘spillways would enable India to increase the storage capacity of the reservoir and, if India desired, to halt the supply of water to Pakistan for more than three weeks during the winter season. Pakistan fears that it would lose between 7000 to 8000 cusecs of water per day for Rabi crops. Pakistan also sensed the danger of inundation of the area above Maraia Head Works, if India released water simultaneously from Dulhasti, Baghlihar, and Sala! Darns into River Chenab. Pakistan viewed the Baghlihar Project as another security risk, in times of tension or war, as India would be able to control the flow of water facilitating or hampering the movement of Indian/Pakistani troops according to its requirement.

After the Indus Water Commission failed to resolve the Baghlihar Dam issue, the matter was referred to the World Bank which acknowledged that the issue amounted to a ‘difference’ and appointed Professor Raymond Lafitte, an engineer from Switzerland, as the neutral expert to decide the matter. On 12 February 2007, Lafitte gave his verdict directing India to reduce the capacity of pond age by 13.5% and the height of the Dams’ structure by 1.5 meters. He also called for raising power intake tunnels by 3 meters to reduce flow-control capability. Pakistan had reservations about the verdict but both India and Pakistan agreed to abide by it. The matter, it appears, stands closed.

It is heartening to see that during its recent visit to Pakistan to discuss Indus Water issues, the Indian delegation conceded that all “water disputes must be resolved within an agreed timeframe.” Pakistan’s Indus Commissioner Syed Jamaal Ali Shah told the Indian delegation that a reduction in supplies was jeopardizing the water transfer operation to the eastern part of Pakistan. He also conveyed the message that Pakistan wanted India to take necessary steps if deforestation and environmental impact affected the river flow on its side.

Now dams will be Discussed in detail.

World’s largest earth and rock-filled dam were built at Terbela on river Indus in 1976 with a gross capacity of 11.62 maf and a live storage capacity of 9.68 maf. With the passage of time, due to silting, 24.6% of the storage has been lost and now it has a live storage of 7.295 maf.

Mangla reservoir is the second major storage of Pakistan. It was built in 1967 on river Jhelum with a gross capacity of 5.882 maf and live storage of 5.41 maf. Again due to siltation it has lost 13.2% of its storage and presently can store 4.636 MAF of water.

Chashma barrage is situated on river Indus and was built in 1972 with a gross storage of0.870 maf and live storage of O.717 maf. It has also reduced its storage capacity by 39.3% and is left with a storage capacity of0.435 maf.

In Pakistan, we utilize the water available to us for different purposes. The basic utilization is for irrigation and then used for power generation, drinking, and also provided to some Industries.

Whereas impact on the economy is concerned, according to the estimates of the federal government, the agriculture sector would suffer a loss of about Rs. 90 billion because of drought. Since agriculture has remained a major source of shouldering the already crippled economy , it has a vital role to play particularly in terms of food security and employment of the ever-burgeoning population of the country. It contributes around 35 % to the GNP and employs about 44% of the labor force. It also contributes 65% of our export earnings. The adverse effects of water shortage on agriculture would have a spiraling effect on the prevailing level of poverty.

•  Less water means less agricultural yields and to fulfill the food requirements of the nation, we will be dependent on other countries.
• Raising livestock is the main source of livelihood in rural areas. It is also an important economic activity, which contributes 9.7% of GDP, which will be affected due to a shortage of water.
• Orchards of Pakistan bring home a healthy amount of foreign exchange, which can be affected due to water shortage.
• Due to less production of main crops, which are wheat, cotton, sugar cane, and rice, the Industries related to them will suffer adversely.
• Then due to drought and more dependency on groundwater for irrigation, the water table will go down, and this will cause water constraints to the population.
• Less agricultural outputs will compel people to head towards urban areas for jobs, which will increase unemployment further.
• The distribution of water is controlled from the center by IRSA (Indus river system authority) as per the 1991 agreement between the provinces. Now the shortage of water will cause disputes between the provinces, which may cause harm to the national integrity.

So for overcoming the water crisis, following steps are recommended:

The national water strategy must be based upon two essential elements covering

1. Water developments

2. Water management

In water development, the following dams should start immediately;-

Bhasha dam would be located 200 miles upstream of Terbela on river Indus. its gross storage capacity would be 7.3 maf and live storage 5.7 maf. Its power generation capacity would be 3360 mw.

Kalabagh dam site is located 132 miles downstream of Terbela. Its gross storage would be 6.1 maf. It would have a power generation of 3600 mw.

That reservoir would be located on the right bank of Chashma – Jhelum link canal, along the western bank of river Jhelum. Its reservoir would have a gross capacity of 2.3 maf.

In this, the present Mangla dam would be further raised by 40 ft and thus increasing its gross capacity to 9.5 maf. In addition, its power generation capacity would be increased by 15%.

Mirani dam is located on Dasht River about 48 km of Turbat town in Mekran division. Its main objective is to provide water for irrigation. Its gross storage is 0.30 maf.

Gomalzam dam is located at Khajori Kach on Gomal River in South Waziristan, about 75 miles from Dera Ismail Khan. Its main objective will be to irrigate 132000 acres of land, power generation of 17.4 mw, and flood control.

From these projects, we shall be able to store an additional 20maf of water. Managing water resources is the need of time, and we in Pakistan are already short of water, mnst chalk out a strategy. Following are recommended in this regard:-

Presently the losses occur due to seepage, infiltration, and leakages, etc. seepage results in waterlogging, and these losses can be reduced or eliminated by lining the canals.

In addition, people should be educated to conserve water by cooperation”: Furthermore government should make laws on water conservation, like many western countries.

The second-largest contribution to the total water available comes from groundwater sources. This source has been exploited and very well used by public and private tube wells. It can still provide over nine maf of water. This source can be exploited and judiciously used for irrigation purposes. However in some areas, groundwater is rapidly depleting due to excessive pumpage, authorities should take control in such areas to save them from depleting.

Efforts would be made to convert the present rotation-based irrigation system to a demand-oriented system. The modem irrigation techniques, that is trickling, sprinkling, etc, have the potential to improve water distribution and its utilization.

Authorities should take appropriate steps to curb the illegal extraction of water and ensure its equitable distribution.

Presently irrigation department has failed to stop the illegal theft and extraction; thus irrigation distribution system needs to be privatized through·water user associations.

In addition, water, nowadays is supplied to farmers at a very negligible cost and that is why they do not treat water as a precious resource; therefore there is a need to increase the water prices to make irrigators realize the importance of this asset.

Farmer’s organizations, water user associations, and the private sector must be involved in the construction, operation, and maintenance of i.e irrigation system. Such associations are conceived as a mechanism for creating a cooperative framework for the improvement of watercourses.

The problems faced by the water sector in the country are many, acute and serious and it is also known that we can generate about 83 maf of more water. Therefore, building more reservoirs and an effective management strategy are the needs of the time. Also, implementation of the recommendations will enable the country to ·meet the challenges, and achieve the objectives of integrated, efficient, environmentally and financially sustainable development and management of limited water resources. At the same time, it will enable us to utilize every drop of our water for our bright future.

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