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In this essay, we look at water and its scarcity. We first start by defining what water is and

how important it is to human beings. We further look at water scarcity as an environmental

issue caused by shortcomings in distribution of water and the extent of the issue. We then

look at how it has affected and will keep on affecting society in the future and what could be

done on an international and individual level to address this issue.

Water is a natural resource that is vital for the health and well-being of the population.

According to the World Health Organisation, for a person to sustain life, he/she needs at

least 50litres of water per day. Water is the main force that drives all the economic activities

and provides the ecological services. Our main water supply resources are surface water and

ground water and due to ineffective management of these resources, the world is facing

water scarcity problem. Water scarcity which is caused by too little human intervention

occurs when natural supplies are sufficient to meet the demands but fail to reach users due

to shortcomings in the distribution or storage infrastructure.

Human activities and natural environmental conditions are the immediate causes of this

scarcity. Unpredictable weather patterns which often induce drought and the effects of

global warming continue to reduce rainfall worsening the conditions in water-scarce

countries. Curry, E (2010) states that estimates suggest that climate change will lead to a

20% increase in scarcity across globe and the effects of climate change will also extend to

water quality; water temperatures will rise which will cause pollution concentrations to

increase. Besides the environmental conditions, the human activities also pose a seriousthreat to water supplies. Countless examples of contaminated water are being used for

irrigation or being dumped into the municipal water sources. Pesticides and fertiliser use in

agriculture has grown and when applied to soil they can seep into the surrounding water

supplies leading to a higher concentration of organic substances in the water which can

taint the entire water source indefinitely. Surface water is also polluted by untreated

industrial and household waste which contains toxic compounds but most common is

contamination by human waste. There are currently about 2.5 billion people without access

to adequate sanitation (Curry,E. 2010). In addition to contamination of water resources,

unsustainable extraction of freshwater causes scarcity in river basin. Extracting water

reduces the flow and volume of water which increases the concentration of salt in water as

well as concentration of other substances.

The health consequences of these pollution and poor sanitation are enormous. Curry, E.

(2010) sates that water and sanitation-related disease combine to kill 1.6 billion people each

year; 25 000 occur from consumption of contaminated water that is people drinking arsenic

in drinking water and 88% of diarrheal disease is caused by unsafe water and sanitation.

Food production also gets affected. The effects of factory farming and flood irrigation take

toll on many nations water supply forcing farmers to overexploit their land and watersupplies to keep up with the demand. Each year the worlds population increase by 85

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million people and the world population is projected to grow from 7.0 billion by 2050. Rising

living standards will demand higher volume of household use, together with richer diets and

more consumer goods. All of these changes drive water consumption and will be most felt

in the energy and food sectors. The food and agriculture Organisation estimates that global

food production must rise by 70% by 2050. According to 2030 Water Resource Group, thecumulative effect of this demand drives the global demand for freshwater by 53% by 2030.

Water scarcity will have worst impact and it is everybodys responsibility to ensure proper

use and saving of water. Policies that reflect a worldwide consensus should be formed and

address the following areas; rain water remaining in local watersheds, underground not

being extracted at a rate beyond replenishment rate and pollution of water sources cannot

continue.

When human right to water is recognised, it would place the issue of scarcity and human

need at the forefront of discussion in International fora, and then establish the covenant, an

official statement of the right to water would force states to provide access to water

resources and make necessary policy changes to ensure that access would not be disrupted.

Government would be held accountable for their actions and would be responsible for

adapting their policies to include the goals of conservation of water. The recognition of the

right to water by international organisations such as UN would build a block to initiate the

chain of the decisions necessary to prevent the horrible effects of water scarcity.

As it is everyones responsibility to save water, on an individual level, whenever water is

used, there is a potential for water conservation both inside and outside our homes and it isimportant to remember that care in our water use habits should not only be taken into

times of water shortage, also shut-off valves allows a person to stop the flow while soaping

and shampooing no matter how small.

Conclusion;

Water is the most important resource that makes life possible and its scarcity will have most

impact on those groups least able to handle its effects. Inadequate access to freshwater

poses a threat to the wellbeing and health of people. Food production will be affected

leaving more and more people living in poverty. Contamination of water and poor sanitation

will bring negative impact on health of people, exposing them to diseases. However if

policies that include goals conservation of water and human right to safe and clean are

established and individuals take care in their water use habits, more safe and clean water

will be available and diseases caused by water contamination will be under control.