Water scarcity facts for kids
Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water for drinking and agriculture. For us, and most land animals, fresh water is drinkable, and sea water is not. This is because sea water has a high salt content, which we and most land animals cannot deal with.
Although there is enough freshwater in the world, there is a mismatch between when and where people need water, and when and where it is available.
The need is not just for fresh water, but for clean water. That usually means water which is free of parasites and general dust and dirt. When the English engineer Joseph Bazalgette found out how to keep water free of cholera, he did a great thing. It was followed by British engineers designing waterworks in many countries round the world.
Unfortunately, one effect of population growth has been to increase the demand for fresh water beyond the scope of these original water systems. So it is not just fresh water which is needed, but clean water without harmful bacteria and parasites.
There are arid and desert areas, and places where the water is too polluted to drink. It is a social, environmental and economic problem in many countries.
The situation has been made worse by population growth and industrial uses of water. Global warming tends to increase the need for fresh water for all land animals, including humans.
Therefore, water scarcity may be the result of both human and natural causes. Changes in climate and weather patterns can cause the availability of water to drop. Common human causes include over-consumption, bad governance, pollution, and increases in the demand for water.
Contents
Types
Different terms are used to describe different types of water scarcity:
- A water shortage is when there is not enough water to meet demands. Changes in the weather, such as drought can cause water shortage.
- Water stress is the difficulty of finding sources of fresh water for use.
- A water crisis is a situation where the available supply of potable, clean water within an area is less than the demand for it.
Causes and contributing factors
- Population growth
In the future, even more water will be needed to produce food because the Earth's population is forecast to rise to 9 billion by 2050.
- Overuse of groundwater
Many groundwater sources are non-renewable. That could lead to exhaustion if not properly monitored and managed.
- Expansion of agricultural and industrial users
Scarcity is caused primarily by the extensive use of water in agriculture/livestock breeding and industry.
- Water pollution
Water sources get polluted with chemicals. Dirty water also contains germs that cause dangerous infections in humans and animals.
- Climate change
Rising temperatures will increase evaporation and lead to increases in precipitation. Both droughts and floods may become more frequent in different regions at different times, and dramatic changes in snowfall and snow melt are expected in mountainous areas. Higher temperatures will also affect water quality in ways that are not well understood.
- Retreating glaciers
About 2% of Earth's water is frozen freshwater found in glaciers. Glaciers provide freshwater for streams or springs as temperatures rise. This water is used by locals for a number of reasons like agriculture, livestock, and hydropower.
Estimates
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that by 2025, 1.9 billion people will be living in countries or regions with total water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions. The World Bank has said that climate change could heavily change the future of water availability and use, and therefore increase water stress on a global scale.
Population affected
Half a billion people live in areas with severe water scarcity throughout the year, and around four billion people face severe water scarcity at least one month per year. Half of the world's largest cities experience water scarcity. There are 2.3 billion people who reside in nations with water scarcities, which means that each individual receives less than 1 700 m3 of water annually. However, 380 billion m3 of municipal wastewater are produced globally each year.
In those areas where the amount of available water decreases, climate change makes it difficult to improve access to safe drinkable water. More people will migrate because of the scarcity of drinking water. This situation will increase inequality by leaving the poor behind.
Negative effects
Fresh water scarcity has negative effects on ecology, biodiversity, agriculture and human health. It has also led to armed conflicts in several cases. Some countries upriver have built dams to satisfy their needs for drinking water, irrigation and electric power. These needs have grown as populations has grown, and as climate changes has reduced rain in some places. Down river from the dam, supply is usually reduced. This creates tension between countries. The River Jordan in the Middle East, and the Nile are two good examples of where this is happening.
Global goals
Sustainable Development Goal 6 is about "clean water and sanitation for all". It is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The fourth target of SDG 6 is to "ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity".
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 pages
See also
In Spanish: Escasez de agua para niños
