Article: Facing the Freshwater Crisis
Author: Peter Rogers
It is estimated that 1 out of 6 people don't have adequate access to freshwater; which is approximately more than 1 billion people. It's increasingly become more important to use water wisely as the world's demand for freshwater is currently overtaking the ready supply. Worldwide, policymakers wield great power over how water resources are managed. They're not doing a very good job right now. According to data released by the United Nations, by 2025, more than half of the countries around the world will either stress- demand more water than is available or safe for use- or outright shortages. By mid-century, as much as three quarters of the earth's population could face scarcities of freshwater. Water scarcity is becoming more common now that the world's population is rising, people are becoming richer, and global climate change which is reducing the available supply. "Many water sources are threatened by faulty waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, fertilizer runoff and coastal influxes of saltwater into aquifers as groundwater is depleted". The lack of access to safe and clean freshwater can lead to starvation, disease, political instability and armed conflict. Each person needs at least 1,000 cubic meters of water per year; equivalent to two fifths of the volume of an Olympic-size swimming pool for drinking, hygiene and growing food. Whether they get enough depends on where they live; water distribution varies around the world. Providing freshwater for drier, underdeveloped and developing countries because demand is high but supply is low. In addition, developed countries are also experiencing freshwater shortages as droughts leave cities in need of water. The demand for water increases with the increasing population and growth rate. However, only 3% of all the water on the planet is fresh; the rest is salty, making it undrinkable and unusable for humans' use.
It's frightening that we have such a low supply of freshwater left on the planet, yet we are using more water than ever; for agriculture, hygiene, sanitation, and personal uses. There are a lot of ways that we could reduce our consumption, and reuse the recycled water. For one, setting higher prices for water would spur the adoption of reusing used water and can encourage water agencies to build recycling and reclamation systems; it can also convince people to reduce water losses by improving maintenance of water-delivery systems, like fixing detected leaks early on instead of waiting until water mains break to fix them. Since agriculture is the largest consumer of water, we should make it more efficient. Even a 10% increase in irrigation efficiency would free up more water to be used for other activities. This can be achieved by stopping leaks in the water-delivery infrastructure, implementing low-loss storage of water, and practicing more efficient applications of water to farm crops. Even simple changes, like switching out old appliances with low-water use ones, would help a lot. As the article said, "we do not have to invent new technologies; we must simply accelerate the adoption of existing techniques to conserve and enhance the water supply". We already have all the technology and practices necessary to conserve water. We just to implement them. We've already started; desalination plants, which secure new sources of freshwater using membrane reverse-osmosis, in Singapore and Tampa Bay are helping to provide new sources of freshwater. It won't be easy, but we will succeed if we start right now and don't give up on it.
Author: Peter Rogers
- A couple years ago in New Delhi, water managers decided to divert large amounts of water from upstream rivers/reservoirs to irrigate crops; causing endemic shortfalls, and only allowing water to be available to citizens for an hour a day
- In Phoenix, politicians allowed irrigation water to be shifted away from farming operations to cities and suburbs, while permitting recycled wastewater to be used for landscaping
- Worldwide, policymakers wield great power over how water resources are managed
- Wise use of water is increasingly becoming more important as the world's demand for freshwater is currently overtaking its ready supply
- 1 out of 6 people, approximately more than 1 billion people, don't have adequate access to safe freshwater
- According to data released by the United Nations, by 2025, more than half of the countries around the world will either stress (demand more water than is available or safe for use) or outright shortages
- By mid-century, as much as three quarters of the earth's population could face scarcities of freshwater
- Water scarcity is more common because the world's population is rising; people are getting richer, increasing demand; global climate change is reducing supply
- "Many water sources are threatened by faulty waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, fertilizer runoff and coastal influxes of saltwater into aquifers as groundwater is depleted"
- Lack of access to water can lead to starvation, disease, political instability and armed conflict
- Each person needs at least 1,000 cubic meters of water per year; equivalent to two fifths of the volume of an Olympic-size swimming pool for drinking, hygiene and growing food
- Whether people get enough water depends on where they live because distribution of water varies
- Providing water for drier, underdeveloped and developing nations with large populations in challenging because demand is high and supply is low
- Shortages of freshwater in developed nations is becoming more common as droughts have left cities in need of water
- Location is not the only thing that determines the availability of water in a given place; the ability to pay plays a major role too
- Struggle for freshwater has led to civil and military disputes
- Demand rises with population size and growth rate and income level
- Reasonable prices promote greater conservation
- The cost of freshwater in the U.S has been to low to encourage users to save water; often, when people exploit natural resources, few worry about waste if it's so cheap it's almost free
- Setting higher prices for water where possible is necessary; can spur the adoption of reusing used water (gray-water) and can encourage water agencies to build recycling and reclamation systems; can also convince people to reduce water losses by improving maintenance of water-delivery systems (ex: fixing leaks early on instead of waiting until water mains break)
- Conserving irrigation flows for agriculture would drastically conserve more freshwater as it is the largest consumer
- 10% rise in irrigation efficiency would free up more water; this can be achieved by stopping leaks in the water-delivery infrastructure, implementing low-loss storage of water, and more efficient application of water to farm crops
- Save irrigation water by channeling water intended for crops fields to underground storage in the non-growing season
- Virtual water concept: products with water in them are exported to dry regions, so that area will not have to use its own water to create it, easing pressure on local supplies of freshwater and freeing up large quantities for other applications
- Demand for urban, water-based sanitation services can be reduced by adopting low-water use devices, like dry composting toilets with urine separation systems, which diverts urine for reuse in agriculture and converts the remaining waste on-site into an organic compost that can enrich soil
- Only 3% of all water on the planet is fresh; the rest is salty
- Desalination plants can secure new sources of freshwater using membrane reverse-osmosis; Singapore and Tampa Bay, Florida has built desalination plants using the new, more economical technology
- China and India, the most populous countries with the largest water infrastructure needs are experiencing rapid economic growth
- Africa, the part of the world that is most likely to continue suffering from inadequate water access spend the last amount of money on water infrastructure, and cannot afford to spend much; it's up to wealthier nations to provide funds to assist the effort
It is estimated that 1 out of 6 people don't have adequate access to freshwater; which is approximately more than 1 billion people. It's increasingly become more important to use water wisely as the world's demand for freshwater is currently overtaking the ready supply. Worldwide, policymakers wield great power over how water resources are managed. They're not doing a very good job right now. According to data released by the United Nations, by 2025, more than half of the countries around the world will either stress- demand more water than is available or safe for use- or outright shortages. By mid-century, as much as three quarters of the earth's population could face scarcities of freshwater. Water scarcity is becoming more common now that the world's population is rising, people are becoming richer, and global climate change which is reducing the available supply. "Many water sources are threatened by faulty waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, fertilizer runoff and coastal influxes of saltwater into aquifers as groundwater is depleted". The lack of access to safe and clean freshwater can lead to starvation, disease, political instability and armed conflict. Each person needs at least 1,000 cubic meters of water per year; equivalent to two fifths of the volume of an Olympic-size swimming pool for drinking, hygiene and growing food. Whether they get enough depends on where they live; water distribution varies around the world. Providing freshwater for drier, underdeveloped and developing countries because demand is high but supply is low. In addition, developed countries are also experiencing freshwater shortages as droughts leave cities in need of water. The demand for water increases with the increasing population and growth rate. However, only 3% of all the water on the planet is fresh; the rest is salty, making it undrinkable and unusable for humans' use.
It's frightening that we have such a low supply of freshwater left on the planet, yet we are using more water than ever; for agriculture, hygiene, sanitation, and personal uses. There are a lot of ways that we could reduce our consumption, and reuse the recycled water. For one, setting higher prices for water would spur the adoption of reusing used water and can encourage water agencies to build recycling and reclamation systems; it can also convince people to reduce water losses by improving maintenance of water-delivery systems, like fixing detected leaks early on instead of waiting until water mains break to fix them. Since agriculture is the largest consumer of water, we should make it more efficient. Even a 10% increase in irrigation efficiency would free up more water to be used for other activities. This can be achieved by stopping leaks in the water-delivery infrastructure, implementing low-loss storage of water, and practicing more efficient applications of water to farm crops. Even simple changes, like switching out old appliances with low-water use ones, would help a lot. As the article said, "we do not have to invent new technologies; we must simply accelerate the adoption of existing techniques to conserve and enhance the water supply". We already have all the technology and practices necessary to conserve water. We just to implement them. We've already started; desalination plants, which secure new sources of freshwater using membrane reverse-osmosis, in Singapore and Tampa Bay are helping to provide new sources of freshwater. It won't be easy, but we will succeed if we start right now and don't give up on it.