The problems and the solutions of a water crisis

Much of the world today is already in a water crisis.  And the crisis will only grow, exacerbated by climate change as well as population growth.  The impacts will be devastating, especially on the poor. Without drinking water it will be difficult for them to live; without water for their crops there will be no food. All of this can only fuel conflict.

The Problem

As populations grow and cities increase in size, industrial, agricultural and individual water demands are rising. According to the World Bank, world-wide demand for water is doubling every 21 years. However, population growth alone does not account for the increased water demand. Since 1900, there has been a six-fold increase in water use while there was only a four-fold increase in the human population. This reflects a greater water use which is associated with the rising standards of living.

We produce, harvest and draw water at an increasing pace to feed, dress and provide with comfort the rising number of people on our planet, yet we do this without paying adequate attention to future consequences of that consumption. As a result, the pressure on a scarce but indispensable and vital resource increases steadily. The lack of pure potable water is a fact for approximately 900 million people.

We are currently using about 70% percent of the available fresh waters on the planet and by 2025 it is estimated by the State of the Future Report that our use will have exceeded 100%. Currently we have exceeded the sustainable limits of water withdrawals from rivers and underground aquifers in many parts of the world. Most of the world’s major river systems have already been dammed. Over pumping of groundwater is putting entire aquifers in peril, in addition, it can also lead to the collapse of the lands above the aquifers.

Analyses and forecasts of the United Nations and the World Bank have pointed to:

* the aggravation of the water crisis in the world. As such by 2032, 40 years after the first Earth-Summit in Rio the Janeiro, allegedly 60% of the world population will live in areas with water stress.

* serious problems concerning the water resources for agriculture in China, India and the US. In these countries the aquifers have lowered remarkably due to extreme use of water for agriculture and industry in the last 50 years.

* a multiplication and intensification of “water conflicts” between states. More and more water is described in terms of “Blue Gold”, as once oil was referred to as “Black Gold”. Many believe that the twenty-first century will be a century of water wars.

Some recent statistics indicate that:

* Every day 20.000 up to 30.000 people die from lack of pure water, that’s one every 8 seconds.  Many of these are children. In the Least Developed Countries 30 to 50% of infant mortality is caused by a lack of pure water.

* Worldwide, 80% of diseases are due to a lack of pure water and good sanitation and hygiene: consequently, among other things, 250 to 300 million working days are lost annually.

The Solutions

Yet, according to the UN 2006 World Water Development Report: “there can be enough clean water for everyone”. The problem we face today is largely one of governance: equitably sharing our water while ensuring the sustainability of our natural ecosystems. At this point in time, we are  not even close to achieving this balance.

It is within humanity’s capabilities to solve our global water challenge:

Value water and charge for it. All families should be provided with a free, fixed amount of water to meet their daily subsistence needs (drinking, cooking and hygiene).  Charging for water services (household, commercial, industrial and agriculture) above the minimum – a kind of smart subsidy – will limit waste and push for increased efficiency in water usages.

Focus on water technologies to allow more “crop per drop”. A number of technologies to reduce the usage of water in agriculture have already been developed and are becoming more affordable. Drip irrigation, for example, is a simple, affordable and proven technology that can prevent up to 90% of soil evaporation. Charging for water will induce farmers to adopt these technologies.

Address climate change. Recent studies have found that the proportion of land suffering from very dry conditions rose from 15 percent globally in 1970 to around 30 percent in 2000. At the same time, many regions will experience massive flooding in the coming decades due to glacier melt, which will then be followed by extreme water sacristy once the glaciers have disappeared.  Without addressing climate change it will be extremely difficult to solve the water challenge.

Encourage economic diversification. Efforts to diversify crops, should be coupled with the introduction of non-agricultural activities that are not directly dependent on the rains, to the mix of activities of rural communities.

Develop physical infrastructure. Since 97.25 percent of the Earth’s water is salt water, if we are able to improve desalination techniques, basing them on the use of wind, solar and hydropower energy, we will be able to bolster water supplies, initially near the coasts and hopefully, once the efficiency of pumping water is increased, everywhere.

Ensure international cooperation.  More than 20 nations worldwide get more than half of their water from their neighbours.  Access to adequate fresh water and increased water demands require cooperation between nations. Nations will be drawn into water disputes unless they establish agreements on how to share reservoirs, rivers and underground water supplies. In this context, water is likely to become a future cause of war between nations (while currently it is mostly cause for conflict within countries). Peace needs to be proactively undertaken between these nations.

There is an urgent need for increased international management and cooperation if conflicts over water are to be avoided. Despite increased recognition that the present crisis is a combination of the interrelated factors of environmental damage, inadequate governance, overpopulation and climate change, learning to share water will also build peace.