Water scarcity facts for kids
Water scarcity means there isn't enough fresh water for people and animals to drink, or for farming. Most land animals, including us, need fresh water to survive. We can't drink sea water because it has too much salt.
Even though there's a lot of freshwater on Earth, it's not always in the right place or available when people need it. It's not just about having fresh water, but also about having clean water. This means water that is safe to drink, without harmful parasites, dirt, or bacteria.
Long ago, engineers like Joseph Bazalgette helped make water clean and safe, stopping diseases like cholera. But as the world's population grew, the need for fresh, clean water increased a lot. Many places now face problems because their water systems can't keep up.
Some areas are naturally arid (very dry) or deserts. In other places, the water is too polluted to drink. Water scarcity is a big problem for our society, the environment, and the economy in many countries.
This problem is getting worse because more people are using water, and industries need a lot of it too. Global warming also makes things harder, as higher temperatures can increase the need for water for all living things.
So, water scarcity can happen for both human and natural reasons. Changes in climate and weather patterns, like less rain, can reduce how much water is available. Human actions like using too much water (over-consumption), poor management, pollution, and a growing demand for water also cause scarcity.
Contents
What Are the Different Kinds of Water Scarcity?
People use different words to describe water scarcity:
- A water shortage happens when there simply isn't enough water to meet everyone's needs. This can be caused by weather changes, like a drought.
- Water stress means it's hard to find enough fresh water to use.
- A water crisis is a serious situation where there's less clean, drinkable water available than what people need in an area.
Why Does Water Scarcity Happen?
Many things cause or make water scarcity worse:
- More People on Earth
The world's population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. This means we will need even more water to grow food for everyone.
- Using Too Much Groundwater
Many sources of water found underground (groundwater) don't get refilled easily. If we use too much of this water without managing it carefully, it can run out.
- More Farms and Factories
A lot of water is used in agriculture (growing crops and raising animals) and in factories. This high demand from farms and industries is a main reason for water scarcity.
- Water Pollution
Water sources can get dirty with chemicals from factories or farms. Dirty water also contains germs that can make humans and animals very sick.
- Climate Change Effects
Rising temperatures make more water evaporate from lakes and rivers. This can lead to more droughts in some places and more floods in others. Changes in snowfall and how quickly snow melts in mountains also affect water supplies. Higher temperatures can also make water quality worse in ways we don't fully understand yet.
- Melting Glaciers
About 2% of Earth's freshwater is frozen in glaciers. As temperatures rise, glaciers melt, providing water for streams and springs. Local people use this water for farming, animals, and making electricity. But if glaciers melt too fast, they might disappear, leading to less water in the future.
How Many People Are Affected?
About half a billion people live in places with very severe water scarcity all year round. Around four billion people face serious water scarcity for at least one month each year. Half of the world's biggest cities also experience water scarcity.
About 2.3 billion people live in countries where each person gets less than 1,700 cubic meters of water per year, which is considered a scarcity level. Meanwhile, about 380 billion cubic meters of dirty water from cities are produced globally every year.
In areas where water is becoming scarcer, climate change makes it harder to get safe drinking water. More people might have to move because they can't find enough water. This situation can make inequality worse, especially for people who are already poor.
What Are the Bad Effects of Water Scarcity?
Not having enough fresh water causes many problems for ecology (how living things interact with their environment), biodiversity (the variety of life), agriculture, and human health. It has even led to conflicts in some cases.
Some countries located higher up a river build dams to get water for drinking, irrigation (watering crops), and electric power. As populations grow and climate changes reduce rainfall, these needs increase. Downstream from the dam, the water supply usually goes down. This can create tension between countries. The River Jordan in the Middle East and the Nile River are two examples where this is happening.
What Are the Global Goals for Water?
Sustainable Development Goal 6 is a global aim set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. It's all about "clean water and sanitation for all." This is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. One of its targets is to "ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity." This means making sure we use water wisely and reduce the number of people who don't have enough.
Images for kids
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Map of global water stress (a symptom of water scarcity) in 2019. Water stress is the ratio of water use relative to water availability and is therefore a demand-driven scarcity.
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Global water consumption 1900–2025, by region, in billions m3 per year
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People collect clean drinking water from a tapstand in the town of Ghari Kharo, in western Sindh Province in Pakistan.
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A typical dry lakebed is seen in California, which is experiencing its worst megadrought in 1,200 years, precipitated by climate change, and is therefore water rationing. Water scarcity and lack of water security present an existential threat.
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Lake Chad has shrunk by 90% since the 1960s.
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Children fetch water from a muddy stream in a rural area during dry season. The water is taken back home and undergoes filtration and other treatments before usage.
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Deforestation of the Madagascar Highland Plateau has led to extensive siltation and unstable flows of western rivers.
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An abandoned ship in the former Aral Sea, near Aral, Kazakhstan
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Pivot irrigation in Saudi Arabia, April 1997. Saudi Arabia is suffering from a major depletion of the water in its underground aquifers.
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South Asian woman carrying water on her head, 2016
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Cape Town water crisis warning
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Folsom Lake reservoir during the drought in California in 2015
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Freshwater withdrawals as a share of internal resources in 2014. Water stress is defined by the following categories: 80% extremely high.
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Related Topics
See also
In Spanish: Escasez de agua para niños
