Water scarcity affects more than 40% of the worldwide population. In addition, water related disasters account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters. These numbers indicate how extremely important this worldwide water problem is. Since the global population is rapidly growing, we need more and more resources to facilitate our modern society. This, of course results in additional pressure on food supplies and natural resources. For example, researchers estimated that by 2050 we have 9 billion people to feed. So many people to feed requires an increase of 60% in agricultural production. Therefore, also an 15% increase in water withdrawals. However, the water resources are already scarce in many parts of the world. This reflects in more than 1.2 billion people lacking access to clean drinking water. By 2025, 2/3 of the world’s population may be facing water shortages. These numbers call for a radical change in our water management. But to identify how we have to change society, and therefore our policies, we need to know what the main causes of water scarcity are.
First, one of the major causes for water scarcity is pollution. There are a lot of sources causing water pollution. Main sources for water pollution are pesticides and fertilizers from farms, human wastewater and waste from industries. Another surprising source is plluted groundwater, groundwater can get polluted because pollutants can leach into underground aquifers. Polluted water can’t be used by humans anymore, because it can contain harmful bacteria and toxic substances from industrial processes such as agriculture. However, it takes years before these toxic substances can be recognized, therefore it can be very harmful to both the environment and humans in the meantime.
Second, our agriculture is also a main cause for water scarcity. Our farming is estimated to use around 70% of all the freshwater available in the world. However, a lot of this water is wasted, because a shocking amount of irrigation systems are leaky. If that is not shocking enough, a lot of irrigation systems are inefficiently used. This leads to even more waste of water. This irresponsible use of water leads to drying out rivers, lakes and underground aquifers. As mentioned above, agriculture also pollutes water through fertilizers and pesticides.
Third, population growth plays a major role in causing water scarcity. In the last 5 decades, the human population has more than doubled. With this population growth comes also economic development and industrialization. This is because this grown population also need more food, shelter, energy and clothing. These increased processes have transformed the water ecosystems around the world. This resulted in an enormous loss of biodiversity. ↓
(WaterLogic Australia)
However, there are also some promising opportunities. The water scarcity is now “only” a problem in individual countries and regions. When we treat water as an extreme source, and we manage the demand for water we can change the situation. Integrated water management could provide a framework for governments to align our water needs with the water availability without complete depletion.
This blog will elaborate more on effective water management, taking Singapore and the Netherlands as examples of sustainable water management.