- Access to clean water for everyone is a global issue.
- Clean drinking water is rare.
Environmental
degradation caused by the carelessness of humans has given birth to the
multifaceted problem of water scarcity worldwide. Many water systems that help
financial and ecological systems thrive and are integral to growing human
populations are becoming increasingly stressed. Water covers 70% of our planet
(Earth) and it would be naive to think that it will always be abundant. Fresh
water in particular is becoming incredibly scarce. Only three percent of the
world's water consists of fresh water, and two-thirds of it is covered by
frozen glaciers and has taken a form that is prohibited for drinking.
Water
affects our lives in countless ways. We use it for cooking, drinking, keeping
our homes clean, and bathing. Rivers, lakes and reservoirs are drying up. What
is left is being harvested for consumption. More than half of the world's
wetlands have disappeared. Agriculture needs the most water. Climate change is
changing weather and water patterns around the world, causing food shortages
and droughts in some areas, and flooding in others.
Water scarcity is a growing problem on every
continent. The problem is, poor communities are affected the most. The latest
report by WHO and UNICEF tells us that more than 10 million people are stuck in
the water cycle and are bubbling with thirst.
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The
problem is even more acute in Asia and Africa, home to 78% of the world's
population, and the continuous and rapid expansion of cities in these regions
has resulted in the poor and poor due to geographic pressure and lack of modern
water delivery systems and urban infrastructure. Has increased the difficulties
of the backward class. Lack of access to sewage and clean drinking water has
become a serious water problem due to the use of poor practices in construction
and development projects.
Most
of the rivers and streams in Asia are polluted with industrial waste. Sadly,
eight of the most polluted rivers are found in Asia, including the Indus River
and the Ganges River. According to estimates, about two billion people in the
world are forced to drink water mixed with sewage and this water is the cause
of diarrhoea, fever, menstruation, polio and other common diseases. Every year
2 million people, mostly children, die from diarrheal diseases alone.
As
the human population grows, the demand for water is quadrupling, the earth's
limited supply of fresh water is increasingly stressed and increasingly
polluted by domestic agricultural and industrial wastes. About one billion
people currently lack access to adequate water supply and more than double that
number lack access to basic sanitation services. It is estimated that by 2025
water scarcity will affect almost two-thirds of the people on the planet. Fears
are being raised that water shortages will force millions of people to migrate,
causing tension and political instability. From Chile to Mexico and from Africa
to the tourist destinations of southern Europe, The problems are increasing.
Human settlement has successfully exploited many of the world's natural
waterways—building dams, water wells, extensive irrigation systems, and other
structures—that have allowed civilizations to flourish. Increasing economic
activity has increased the pressure on the world's water reserves.
A
UN research report has warned that the world is at risk of a "spiral out
of control" as water resources are put under greater pressure due to
rising water demand and the severe effects of the climate crisis. Due to
population growth and changing consumption patterns, water use has increased by
one percent annually over the past 40 years. The report states that by 2050,
the number of people in cities facing water scarcity will almost double to 2.4
billion compared to 2016. Urban water demand is expected to increase by 80
percent by 2050, the author of this report, Richard Connor, said that without
action to deal with the problem of water scarcity, a global crisis will surely
arise. Urban and industrial development and agriculture are exacerbating
current shortages, with agriculture alone consuming 70 percent of the world's
water supply.
The
report stated that there is going to be a seasonal water shortage in the areas
where there is an abundance of water at present, including Central Africa, East
Asia and some parts of South America. Meanwhile, the shortage will worsen in
coastal areas of the Middle East and Africa where water is already scarce. The
authors of the report said that extreme droughts, which are more frequent and
severe due to climate crises, are also putting pressure on ecosystems, which
can have serious consequences for plant and animal species.
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