essay of a water crisis

Essay on Water Crisis 500+ Words

Water, a life-sustaining resource, is essential for all living creatures on Earth. However, a water crisis is emerging as one of the most significant challenges humanity faces today. In this essay, we will explore the water crisis, its causes and consequences, and the critical need for sustainable solutions to ensure a better future for our planet.

The Growing Water Crisis

A water crisis refers to the scarcity of clean, fresh water needed for various purposes, such as drinking, agriculture, industry, and sanitation. It’s a global problem that affects people, ecosystems, and economies. According to the United Nations, by 2030, nearly half of the world’s population could be facing water scarcity.

Causes of the Water Crisis

a. Overpopulation : The world’s population is rapidly increasing, leading to higher water demand for drinking, irrigation, and industrial use.

b. Climate Change : Changing weather patterns, including prolonged droughts and more frequent extreme weather events, are affecting water availability.

c. Pollution : Water sources are often polluted by chemicals, sewage, and industrial waste, making water unsafe for consumption.

d. Wasteful Practices : Water wastage in agriculture, industry, and households contributes to the crisis.

Consequences of Water Scarcity

a. Health Issues : Lack of clean water leads to waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery, affecting millions, especially children.

b. Food Insecurity : Agriculture heavily relies on water, and water scarcity can lead to crop failures and food shortages.

c. Conflict : Scarcity can trigger conflicts over limited water resources, leading to tensions between communities and even nations.

d. Ecosystem Damage : Wildlife and ecosystems suffer as water sources shrink, impacting biodiversity.

Sustainable Solutions to the Water Crisis

a. Water Conservation : Responsible water use, fixing leaks, and using water-saving appliances can make a significant difference.

b. Improved Infrastructure : Building and maintaining water supply and sanitation systems can help reduce water losses.

c. Rainwater Harvesting : Collecting rainwater for household use and agriculture can mitigate scarcity.

d. Desalination : Technology to turn seawater into freshwater is an option for regions with limited freshwater sources.

The Importance of Education

Education plays a vital role in raising awareness about the water crisis. Schools and communities can educate people about responsible water use, conservation, and the importance of preserving our water resources. Students can become water ambassadors, spreading the message about the need to protect our water.

Global Efforts to Combat Water Scarcity

International organizations like the United Nations and NGOs are working to address water scarcity on a global scale. They provide funding, expertise, and resources to implement sustainable water management practices in affected regions. Collaboration between countries and communities is key to finding solutions.

Conclusion of Essay on Water Crisis

In conclusion, the water crisis is a pressing global issue that affects people, ecosystems, and economies. Understanding its causes and consequences is the first step in finding solutions. It is essential for individuals, communities, and governments to take action by conserving water, improving infrastructure, and supporting sustainable practices. Education and global cooperation are vital in our fight against water scarcity.

By working together, we can ensure that future generations have access to the life-sustaining resource of clean, fresh water. Water is precious, and its conservation is our collective responsibility. As we address the water crisis, we are not only securing our own future but also safeguarding the health and well-being of our planet and all its inhabitants.

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Water Stress: A Global Problem That’s Getting Worse

• Water scarcity happens when communities can’t fulfill their water needs, either because supplies are insufficient or infrastructure is inadequate. Today, billions of people face some form of water stress.
• Countries have often cooperated on water management. Still, there are a handful of places where transboundary waters are driving tensions, such as the Nile Basin.
• Climate change will likely exacerbate water stress worldwide, as rising temperatures lead to more unpredictable weather and extreme weather events, including floods and droughts.

Introduction

Billions of people around the world lack adequate access to one of the essential elements of life: clean water. Although governments and aid groups have helped many living in water-stressed regions gain access in recent years, the problem is projected to get worse due to global warming and population growth. Meanwhile, a paucity of international coordination on water security has slowed the search for solutions.

Water stress can differ dramatically from one place to another, in some cases causing wide-reaching damage, including to public health, economic development, and global trade. It can also drive mass migrations and spark conflict. Now, pressure is mounting on countries to implement more sustainable and innovative practices and to improve international cooperation on water management.

What is water stress?

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• Energy and Environment
• Infrastructure

Water stress or scarcity occurs when demand for safe, usable water in a given area exceeds the supply. On the demand side, the vast majority—roughly 70 percent—of the world’s freshwater is used for agriculture, while the rest is divided between industrial (19 percent) and domestic uses (11 percent), including for drinking. On the supply side, sources include surface waters, such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, as well as groundwater, accessed through aquifers.

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But scientists have different ways of defining and measuring water stress, taking into account a variety of factors including seasonal changes, water quality, and accessibility. Meanwhile, measurements of water stress can be imprecise, particularly in the case of groundwater. “Any numbers out there have to be taken with a grain of salt,” says Upmanu Lall , a Columbia University professor and water expert. “None of these definitions are typically accounting for groundwater usage, or groundwater stock.”

What causes water scarcity?

Water scarcity is often divided into two categories: physical scarcity, when there is a shortage of water because of local ecological conditions; and economic scarcity, when there is inadequate water infrastructure.

The two frequently come together to cause water stress. For instance, a stressed area can have both a shortage of rainfall as well as a lack of adequate water storage and sanitation facilities. Experts say that even when there are significant natural causes for a region’s water stress, human factors are often central to the problem, particularly with regard to access to clean water and safe sanitation. Most recently, for example, the war in Ukraine damaged critical infrastructure, leaving six million people with limited or no access to safe water in 2022.

“Almost always the drinking water problem has nothing to do with physical water scarcity,” says Georgetown University’s Mark Giordano , an expert on water management. “It has to do with the scarcity of financial and political wherewithal to put in the infrastructure to get people clean water. It’s separate.”

At the same time, some areas that suffer physical water scarcity have the infrastructure that has allowed life there to thrive, such as in Oman and the southwestern United States.

A variety of authorities, from the national level down to local jurisdictions, govern or otherwise influence the water supply. In the United States, more than half a dozen federal agencies deal with different aspects of water: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforces regulations on clean water, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepares for and responds to water disasters . Similar authorities exist at the state and local levels to protect and oversee the use of water resources, including through zoning and rehabilitation projects.

Which regions are most water-stressed?

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the worst off in terms of physical water stress, according to most experts. MENA receives less rainfall than other regions, and its countries tend to have fast-growing, densely populated urban centers that require more water. But many countries in these regions, especially wealthier ones, still meet their water needs. For example, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imports nearly all of its food, alleviating the need to use water for agriculture. The UAE and other wealthy MENA countries also rely heavily on the desalination of abundant ocean water, albeit this process is an expensive, energy-intensive one.

Meanwhile, places experiencing significant economic scarcity include Central African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo , which receives a lot of rain but lacks proper infrastructure and suffers from high levels of mismanagement.

Even high-income countries experience water stress. Factors including outdated infrastructure and rapid population growth have put tremendous stress on some U.S. water systems , causing crises in cities including Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey.

How is climate change affecting water stress?

For every 1°C (1.8°F) increase in the global average temperature, UN experts project a 20 percent drop in renewable water resources. Global warming is expected to increase the number of water-stressed areas and heighten water stress in already affected regions. Subtropical areas, such as Australia, the southern United States, and North African countries, are expected to warm and suffer more frequent and longer droughts; however, when rainfall does occur in these regions, it is projected to be more intense. Weather in tropical regions will likewise become more variable, climate scientists say.

Agriculture could become a particular challenge. Farming suffers as rainfall becomes more unpredictable and rising temperatures accelerate the evaporation of water from soil. A more erratic climate is also expected to bring more floods, which can wipe out crops an overwhelm storage systems. Furthermore, rainfall runoff can sweep up sediment that can clog treatment facilities and contaminate other water sources.

In a 2018 report , a panel consisting of many of the world’s top climate researchers showed that limiting global warming to a maximum 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels—the aim of the Paris Agreement on climate—could substantially reduce the likelihood of water stress in some regions, such as the Mediterranean and southern Africa, compared to an unchecked increase in temperature. However, most experts say the Paris accord will not be enough to prevent the most devastating effects of climate change.

What are its impacts on public health and development?

Prolonged water stress can have devastating effects on public health and economic development. More than two billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water; and nearly double that number—more than half the world’s population—are without adequate sanitation services . These deprivations can spur the transmission of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, polio, hepatitis A, and diarrhea.

At the same time, because water scarcity makes agriculture much more difficult, it threatens a community’s access to food. Food-insecure communities can face both acute and chronic hunger, where children are more at risk of conditions stemming from malnutrition, such as stunting and wasting, and chronic illnesses due to poor diet, such as diabetes.

Even if a water-stressed community has stable access to potable water, people can travel great lengths or wait in long lines to get it—time that could otherwise be spent at work or at school. Economists note these all combine [PDF] to take a heavy toll on productivity and development.

Living in a Water-Stressed World

A housing development lies on the edge of Cathedral City, a desert resort town in southern California, in April 2015.

Eleven-year-old Chikuru carries water in a plastic jerrican, which weighs about forty pounds when full, to her home in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, in September 2019.

The water level at Camlidere Dam in the Turkish capital of Ankara is low due to seasonal drought and high water consumption amid the COVID-19 pandemic, November 2020.

A young boy washes a cooking pot in a pool of rainwater outside a slum where members of the Muhamasheen minority group live in Sanaa, Yemen, July 2020.

Abdel-Shaheed Gerges, a farmer, touches water flowing through a government-developed irrigation channel in Esna, Egypt, in October 2019.

Summer Weeks bathes her two-year-old daughter, Ravynn, outside their home in the Navajo Nation in Arizona, September 2020.

A worker waters turf at a sprawling horse-racing facility in Dubai in March 2021.

A woman collects water from a well dug in the Black Umfolozi Riverbed, which is dry due to drought, outside of Durban, South Africa, in January 2016.

The shadow of a girl who fled Raqqa is cast on the wall of a water spigot at a camp for internally displaced people in Syria, August 2017.

Kevin Dudley carries his daughter, Katelyn, and bottles of water to his apartment amid weeks-long water outages across Jackson, Mississippi, in March 2021.

A woman uses swamp water to wash clothes in northern Jakarta, Indonesia, in March 2018.

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need for safe water access. Handwashing is one of the most effective tools for combating the coronavirus, but health experts noted that three in ten individuals —2.3 billion people globally—could not wash their hands at home at the pandemic’s onset.

How has water factored into international relations?

Many freshwater sources transcend international borders, and, for the most part, national governments have been able to manage these resources cooperatively. Roughly three hundred international water agreements have been signed since 1948. Finland and Russia, for example, have long cooperated on water-management challenges, including floods, fisheries, and pollution. Water-sharing agreements have even persisted through cross-border conflicts about other issues, as has been the case with South Asia’s Indus River and the Jordan River in the Middle East.

However, there are a handful of hot spots where transboundary waters are a source of tension, either because there is no agreement in place or an existing water regime is disputed. One of these is the Nile Basin, where the White and Blue Nile Rivers flow from lakes in East Africa northward to the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt claims the rights to most of the Nile’s water based on several treaties, the first dating back to the colonial era; but other riparian states say they are not bound to the accords because they were never party to them. The dispute has flared in recent years after Ethiopia began construction of a massive hydroelectric dam that Egypt says drastically cuts its share of water.

Transboundary water disputes can also fuel intrastate conflict; some observers note this has increased in recent years , particularly in the hot spots where there are fears of cross-border conflict. For example, a new hydropower project could benefit elites but do little to improve the well-being of the communities who rely on those resources.

Moreover, water stress can affect global flows of goods and people. For instance, wildfires and drought in 2010 wiped out Russian crops, which resulted in a spike in commodities prices and food riots in Egypt and Tunisia at the start of the Arab uprisings. Climate stress is also pushing some to migrate across borders. The United Nations predicts that without interventions in climate change, water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions will displace hundreds of millions of people by 2030.

What are international organizations and governments doing to alleviate water stress?

There has been some international mobilization around water security. Ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all is one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , a sweeping fifteen-year development agenda adopted by member states in 2015. Smart water management is also vital to many of the other SDGs, such as eliminating hunger and ensuring good health and well-being. And while the Paris Agreement on climate does not refer to water explicitly, the United Nations calls [PDF] water management an “essential component of nearly all the mitigation and adaptation strategies.” The organization warns of the increasing vulnerability of conventional water infrastructure, and points to many climate-focused alternatives, such as coastal reservoirs and solar-powered water systems.

However, there is no global framework for addressing water stress, like there is for fighting climate change or preserving biodiversity . The most recent UN summit on water, held in March 2023, was the first such conference since 1977 and didn’t aim to produce an international framework. It instead created a UN envoy on water and saw hundreds of governments, nonprofits, and businesses sign on to a voluntary Water Action Agenda, which analysts called an important but insufficient step compared to a binding agreement among world governments.

Some governments and partner organizations have made progress in increasing access to water services: Between 2000 and 2017, the number of people using safely managed drinking water and safely managed sanitation services rose by 10 percent and 17 percent, respectively. In 2022, the Joe Biden administration announced an action plan to elevate global water security as a critical component of its efforts to achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives. But the pace of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have presented new challenges. Now, many countries say they are unlikely to implement integrated water management systems by 2030, the target date for fulfilling the SDGs. 

Still, some governments are taking ambitious and creative steps to improve their water security that could serve as models for others:

Green infrastructure . Peruvian law mandates that water utilities reinvest a portion of their profits into green infrastructure (the use of plant, soil, and other natural systems to manage stormwater), and Canada and the United States have provided tens of millions of dollars in recent years to support Peru’s efforts [PDF]. Vietnam has taken similar steps to integrate natural and more traditional built water infrastructure.

Wastewater recycling . More and more cities around the globe are recycling sewage water into drinking water, something Namibia’s desert capital has been doing for decades. Facilities in countries including China and the United States turn byproducts from wastewater treatment into fertilizer.

Smarter agriculture . Innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence and genome editing are also driving progress. China has become a world leader in bioengineering crops to make them more productive and resilient.

Recommended Resources

The Wilson Center’s Lauren Risi writes that water wars between countries have not come to pass, but subnational conflicts over the resource are already taking a toll.

CFR’s Why It Matters podcast talks to Georgetown University’s Mark Giordano and the Global Water Policy Project’s Sandra Postel about water scarcity .

The World Economic Forum describes the growing water crisis in the Horn of Africa, while National Geographic looks at how the prolonged drought is pushing wildlife closer to towns.

The World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct maps the areas facing extremely high water stress.

The United Nations shares facts about water and its role in all aspects of life.

BuzzFeed News interviews residents of Jackson, Mississippi , who lost access to safe water after freezing temperatures wreaked havoc on the city’s decaying infrastructure.

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Emily Lieberman contributed to this Backgrounder. Michael Bricknell and Will Merrow helped create the graphics.

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• What is being done to alleviate water stress?

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Essay on Water Crisis

Students are often asked to write an essay on Water Crisis in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Water Crisis

The water crisis.

Water is a basic necessity, yet many people worldwide face water scarcity. It’s a crisis that affects both humans and the environment.

Causes of Water Crisis

The crisis is due to pollution, overuse of water, and climate change. Pollution contaminates water, making it unsafe. Overuse, especially in agriculture, depletes water supplies. Climate change causes unpredictable rainfall, leading to droughts or floods.

Impact of Water Crisis

The crisis affects health, agriculture, and economies. Without clean water, diseases spread. Crops fail without enough water, causing food shortages. Economies suffer as industries need water to operate.

Solutions to Water Crisis

Solutions include better water management, reducing pollution, and using water-saving technologies. Everyone can help by using water wisely.

250 Words Essay on Water Crisis

The global water crisis: an unseen emergency.

Water, the basic necessity for all life forms, is alarmingly becoming scarce. The global water crisis, often an overlooked issue, is a pressing concern that demands immediate attention.

The Root Causes

The water crisis has its roots in various factors. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation have led to increased pollution, making vast amounts of water unfit for consumption. Climate change, with its erratic weather patterns, exacerbates water scarcity by causing droughts and floods.

The Consequences

The implications of the water crisis are far-reaching. Water scarcity hampers agricultural productivity, leading to food insecurity. It also poses serious health risks as inadequate water often results in poor sanitation, leading to the spread of waterborne diseases.

Addressing the Crisis

Addressing the water crisis requires a multi-faceted approach. Conservation efforts, such as rainwater harvesting and wastewater recycling, can help augment water supplies. Governments and corporations need to enforce stricter regulations to curb water pollution. Additionally, investing in technologies for desalination and efficient irrigation can alleviate water scarcity.

The Role of Education

Education plays a pivotal role in crisis management. By raising awareness about the water crisis and encouraging sustainable water practices, we can collectively contribute to the solution.

500 Words Essay on Water Crisis

Introduction.

Water, the most fundamental building block of life, is becoming increasingly scarce. The world is grappling with a water crisis that poses a significant threat to both human survival and the stability of our ecosystems. This crisis is not limited to developing countries or arid regions; it is a global problem that requires urgent attention.

The Global Water Crisis

The water crisis is a complex issue with roots in various socio-economic and environmental factors. Climate change is exacerbating the situation by causing unpredictable weather patterns, leading to more frequent droughts and floods. These extreme weather events can contaminate freshwater sources and disrupt the supply of potable water.

Consequences of the Water Crisis

The consequences of the water crisis are far-reaching. It affects not only human health but also food security, energy production, and social stability. Lack of access to clean water leads to poor sanitation, which in turn contributes to diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

Moreover, water scarcity can exacerbate social inequalities. Poorer communities often bear the brunt of the crisis, as they lack the resources to access clean water. This can lead to conflict and displacement, further destabilizing regions already under stress.

Addressing the Water Crisis

Conversely, policy reform should focus on promoting sustainable water management practices. This includes enforcing stricter regulations on water pollution and incentivizing the efficient use of water in agriculture and industry.

The water crisis is a pressing issue that demands immediate action. As we continue to grapple with this global challenge, it is crucial to remember that water is not just a commodity; it is a fundamental human right. By harnessing technological innovation and implementing effective policies, we can ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe water. This will not only alleviate the immediate water crisis but also contribute to the broader goals of social equality and environmental sustainability.

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Residents queue to fill water bottles at a natural water spring in Cape Town, South Africa, a city that may soon have to shut off its taps due to a severe water shortage.

From Not Enough to Too Much, the World’s Water Crisis Explained

Many more cities than Cape Town face an uncertain future over water. But there are emerging solutions.

“Day Zero,” when at least a million homes in the city of Cape Town, South Africa, will no longer have any running water , was originally scheduled for April. It was recently moved to July . The three-year long drought hasn’t ended, but severe water rationing—limiting people to a mere 13 gallons (50 litres) per person per day—has made a difference. (To put this into perspective, an average U.S. citizen uses 100 gallons (375 liters) per day .)

“No person in Cape Town should be flushing potable water down a toilet any more.… No one should be showering more than twice a week now,” said Helen Zille , the premier of the Western Cape province, where Cape Town is located.

Like many places in the world, Cape Town and the surrounding region has likely reached “peak water,” or the limit of how much water can be reasonably taken from the area, says water scientist Peter Gleick , president-emeritus of the Pacific Institute. Gleick, who has spent substantial time in South Africa, says the country generally has good water managers.

“Two years ago, I would not have predicted Cape Town would face day Zero,” he said in an interview. However, climate change has disrupted the Earth’s hydrological cycle (water cycle), changing when, where, and how much precipitation falls. That has made water management planning far more challenging, he said. Yet our water systems were largely built based on the more stable climate of the past.

“What’s happening in Cape Town could happen anywhere,” says Gleick.

Global Risk

Brazil’s São Paulo, a megacity of 20 million, faced its own Day Zero in 2015. The city turned off its water supply for 12 hours a day, forcing many businesses and industries to shut down . In 2008, Barcelona, Spain, had to import tankers full of freshwater from France. Droughts have also become more frequent, more severe, and affecting more people around the world.

Fourteen of the world’s 20 megacities are now experiencing water scarcity or drought conditions. As many as four billion people already live in regions that experience severe water stress for at least one month of the year, according to a 2016 study in the journal Science Advances . Nearly half of those people live in India and China. With populations rising, these stresses will only mount.

Disaster data compiled by the U.N . clearly shows floods are also getting worse. They are happening more frequently, especially in coastal regions and river valleys, and affecting more people. Of all major disasters in the world between 1995 and 2015, 90 percent were weather-related events, such as floods, storms, heatwaves, and droughts. Flooding accounted for more than half of all weather-related disasters, affecting 2.3 billion people and killing 157,000 in that 20-year period. Last year, the costs of extreme weather—floods, droughts, wildfires, storms—in the U.S. reached a record-topping $300 billion . These events displaced more than one million Americans from their homes.

Humanity is facing a growing challenge of too much water in some places and not enough water in others. This is being driven not just by climate change, but by population and economic growth and poor water management, experts warn.

“Water scarcity and flood problems are primarily due to quick growth, increasing vulnerability, and insufficient preparation,” says Arjen Hoekstra , a professor of water management at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. “Climate change, however, is and will worsen the situation in most cases.”

The Roll of “Embedded Water”

Cape Town, where nearly four million people live, has a dry climate much like southern California. It is facing it’s Day Zero due to increased water demands from population and economic growth in combination with a three-year drought that’s severely limited the water supply. Yet what many people don’t realize is that typical home use of water—for washing, flushing, and cooking—represents only about three percent of humanity’s total water consumption, says Hoekstra. Agriculture uses the lion’s share, 80 to 90 percent, followed by energy production and industry.

Rivers Run Dry

The Cape Town region is the heart of South Africa’s wine country, which exported 113 million gallons (428.5 million litres) of wine in 2016 to Europe and the U.S. Yet this export represents a much bigger amount of water that was used to grow and process the grapes. Most of that water is no longer available for human consumption, according to Hoekstra, who is the creator of the water footprint concept. He and colleagues at the Water Footprint Network have worked out that it takes between 26 to 53 gallons (100 to 200 liters) of water to grow the grapes and process them into one five-ounce (125 ml) glass of wine.

In other words, the net amount of water used to grow or make something, be it a lemon, cellphone, or glass of wine, is the product’s water footprint. Most of the water used to make a typical glass of wine is lost to evaporation, with a small amount stored in the grapes, and the rest unsuitable for reuse. While the evaporated water will eventually become rain, it is unlikely to fall over the same vineyards, or even in the Western Cape province, meaning it is effectively “lost” to the region.

So that means a typical 25-ounce (750 ml) bottle of wine has a water footprint of nearly 200 gallons (750 liters). That means the region’s 2016 wine exports involved the net consumption of 113.2 billion gallons (428.5 billion liters) of water. This is water that is lost to the region.

South Africa already has 7 million people without access to water . Meeting their needs would require 33.3 billion gallons (126 billion liters) per year, one third of the amount the wine industry consumes. On top of that, the Western Cape exported an estimated 231,000 tonnes of citrus fruits , mostly oranges, in 2017. The water footprint of one orange—the net amount of water used to grow it—averages 21 gallons (80 liters). Using that basis, those citrus exports used up 30 billion gallons (115 billion liters) of the province’s water.

Not only does it take water to grow anything, it also takes water to make most things: cars, furniture, books, electronics, buildings, jewelry, toys, and even electricity. This water, which often goes largely unseen, is often called “virtual water.” What gets forgotten is that virtual water is as real as the water you drink.

South Africa, a water-stressed country, also exports oil products, minerals, and metals, all of which require enormous amounts of water. For example, it exported 211 tonnes of platinum in 2012. That’s like an export of 45 billion gallons (170 billion liters) of water—the estimated amount of water needed to mine and process the metal .

Other large countries with growing populations, such as China and India, also export staggering volumes of virtual water, often while facing considerable water scarcity problems at home. “This simply can’t continue,” says Hoekstra.

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Seeking solutions.

All of those exports could be produced using far less water, Hoekstra says. It starts with what he calls the most important water management strategy: grow and produce things in the right place. In other words, water-intensive crops like rice and cotton should be grown in water-rich regions.

In a global economy, drought can be a big issue even in water-rich countries, because of a growing dependence on imports. Around 38 percent of the European Union’s water consumption is reliant on water availability in other countries, to grow soybeans, rice, cotton, and other products that it imports. “That makes Europe vulnerable to increasing water scarcity and drought,” says Christopher Briggs , executive director of Water Footprint Network.

A coastal city, Cape Town hopes to solve its problem by getting a new water source: the ocean. It is building its first desalination plants . However, these are expensive and energy intensive. Gleick says it would be more cost effective for the region to shift to less-water intensive crops and to reuse treated wastewater. Currently, Cape Town reuses just five percent of its treated wastewater, compared to Israel’s 85 percent. Israel has also eliminated water-thirsty crops like cotton and made major improvements in water efficiency to free up more water for population growth.

California, which recently suffered through four years of drought and water restrictions , also needs to shift its agricultural production to less water-using crops, says Gleick, who is based there. And the state could increase its wastewater reuse from the current 15 percent, using the surplus to recharge depleted aquifers and use on crops.

A reservoir can be seen at a low level in Cape Town in February. Many other cities could suffer similar fates in the near future, experts warn.

When There’s Too Much Water

Perhaps ironically, too much water too fast was California’s most recent water problem. Following its worst wildfire season in history, heavy rainfall this winter produced mud slides that killed more than 20 people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes. Hurricane Harvey , which hit Texas and Louisiana last August, causing $125 billion in damage, dumped more water out of the sky than any storm in U.S. history. Some 890,000 families sought federal disaster aid, most often from flooding in the Houston area—in large part because many homes were built on flood plains . At the start of March, five states were under a state of emergency (Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, and Michigan) due to heavy rainfalls and flooding.

Rapid population growth, building on floodplains or low-lying coastal regions, and climate change are the biggest reasons why flooding is affecting more people and causing ever greater damage, warns Gleick.

Climate change is the result of burning fossil fuels and has added 46 percent more heat-trapping carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. But even if fossil-fuel used ended today, that additional heat in the atmosphere will put 10 times more Americans at risk of being flooded out by rivers over the next 20 years, a new study reveals .

“More than half of the United States must at least double their protection level within the next two decades if they want to avoid a dramatic increase in river flood risks,” says lead-author Sven Willner from Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

Rainfall changes caused by global warming will increase river flood risks across the globe, the study found. In South America, the number of people affected by river flooding will likely increase from 6 to 12 million. In Africa, the number will rise from 25 to 34 million, and in Asia from 70 to 156 million.

It bears repeating that these findings are based on the current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In reality, humanity added 45 billion tons in 2017, and will likely add that much or more in 2018. Without limiting human-caused warming to well below 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees Celsius), the river flood risk in many regions will be beyond what we can adapt to, Willner and team’s study concludes.

Climate change is also causing sea levels to rise, resulting in substantial coastal flooding during high tides and storms. More than 13 million Americans living on the coasts will be forced to move by 2100 because of rising ocean levels, according to a 2017 study by Mathew Hauer, a demographer at the University of Georgia. About 2.5 million will flee the region that includes Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Greater New Orleans loses up to 500,000 people; the New York City area loses 50,000, the study estimated. These coastal migrants will likely go to cities on high ground with mild climates, such as Atlanta, Austin, Madison, and Memphis. ( See what would happen if all the ice melted .)

“If people are forced to move because their houses become inundated, the migration could affect many landlocked communities as well,” said Hauer in a statement.

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Water Crisis Essay

In this water crisis essay, we had describe about water crisis in details.

Water is the basic requirement for the survival and promotion of humans, animals, birds and vegetation.

Environmental pollution is a major cause of ‘water crisis’ as a result the underground layer increases rapidly.

In 1951, the per capita water availability was about 5177 cubic meters, this has now come down to around 1545 in 2011 (Source: Water Resources Division, TERI).

What is Water Crisis?

The lack of available water resources to meet the demands of water use within a region is called ‘water crisis’.

Around 2.8 billion people living in all continents of the world are affected by water crisis at least one month each year, over 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water for drinking.

Global Scenario of Water Crisis:

Due to increasing demand for water resources, climate change and population explosion, there is a decrease in water availability.

It is estimated that in the Middle East region of Asia, most of North Africa, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan and Spain, countries are expected to have water stress situation by 2040.

Along with this, many other countries including India, China, Southern Africa, USA and Australia may also face high water stress.

Status of Water Crisis in India – Water Crisis Essay:

In India, 330 million people or nearly a quarter of the country’s population are affected by severe drought due to two consecutive years of weak monsoon.

About 50% of the regions of India are experiencing drought like conditions, particularly in the western and southern states, with severe water crisis.

According to the Composite Water Management Index report released in 2018 by the NITI Aayog , 21 major cities of the country (Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad) and about 100 million people living in these cities are facing the severe problem of water crisis.

 12% of India’s population is already living under ‘Day Zero’ conditions.

Day Zero: In order to attract the attention of all people to limit and manage water consumption in the city of Cape Town, the idea of Day Zero was introduced so as to increase management and awareness of limiting water use.

Causes of Water Crisis in India:

The problems of water crisis in India are mainly indicated in the southern and northwestern parts, the geographical location of these areas that it receives less rainfall, the southwest monsoon does not receive rainfall on the Chennai coast.

Similarly, by reaching the monsoon in the northwest, it becomes weak due to which the amount of rainfall also decreases.

Monsoon uncertainty in India is also a major cause of water crisis. In recent years, due to the impact of El-Nino, rainfall has decreased, due to which a situation of water crisis has arisen.

The agricultural ecology of India is favorable for crops that require more water for production, such as rice, wheat, sugarcane, jute and cotton etc.

The problem of water crisis is particularly prevalent in agricultural areas having these crops, the state of water crisis has arisen due to the strengthening of agriculture in Haryana and Punjab.

Serious efforts are not made to reuse water resources in Indian cities that is why the problem of water crisis in urban areas has reached a worrying situation.

Instead of reusing most of the water in cities, they are directly discharged into a river.

There is a lack of awareness among people about water conservation, the misuse of water is constantly increasing; Lawn, washing of cart, leaving the bottle open at the time of water use, etc.

Efforts to Conserve Water:

Under the Sustainable Development Goal, water availability and sustainable management is to be ensured for all people by the year 2030, the following efforts for water conservation are being made to meet this goal as follows:

At present, the use of low water crops is being encouraged to reduce the excessive use of water due to the intensification of agriculture.

In the Second Green Revolution, emphasis is being placed on low water intensity crops.

Efforts are being made to conserve water through dams, the government is also taking help from the World Bank for dam repair and reconstruction.

Guidelines have been issued by the government for construction of water tanks under the water supply program during the construction of buildings in the cities.

The NITI Aayog has released the overall water management index to inspire the effective use of water in states and union territories.

Precautions to avoid Water Crisis:

High-water crops such as wheat, rice, etc. should be transferred from coarse grains because about one-third of the water can be saved using these crops.

Also, the nutritional level of coarse cereals is also high, the use of low-water crops should be increased in areas with less rainfall.

In recent years, such efforts have been made by the Government of Tamil Nadu, water consumption efficiency should be increased, as it is still less than 30% in the best cases.

Public awareness is essential for water conservation because problem of water crisis has risen, however in some areas of America with less water availability than in countries like India.

RELATED ESSAYS:

SAVE WATER ESSAY | WATER POLLUTION ESSAY | WATER CONSERVATION ESSAY

Conclusion for Water Crisis Essay:

Water is an important natural resource as it maintains all living beings on the earth.

 We use it for drinking and cooking, bathing and cleaning, surprisingly less than one percent of the total water supply is potable, but water pollution and misuse of water crisis lead to the ‘water crisis’.

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The World on The Water Crisis

• Categories: Water Pollution Water Scarcity

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16 min read

Published: Mar 28, 2023

Words: 3016 | Pages: 7 | 16 min read

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Introduction, water issues in america.

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Water Crisis

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Unlimited access to clean, safe water is taken for granted in many places, but water scarcity is a growing concern worldwide. Overuse, increasing demand, pollution, poor management, lack of infrastructure, and changes in weather patterns due to global warming are key stressors that affect the availability of fresh water. 

Water is essential to life.

Many major cities across the globe are at risk of a water crisis, and water stress is projected to increase in most countries in the coming decades, threatening regional stability and raising the possibility of forced migrations. In addition, the issue of water availability is not just a human problem—our demands on lakes, rivers, and streams can dramatically harm ecosystems and the natural processes that require water.

Learn about the problem of water scarcity and the major threats to our water, and dive deep into some of the diverse solutions that exist to conserve, protect, and equitably manage Earth’s water resources for human and nonhuman life.

Know the problem

Water scarcity is a growing concern worldwide. Unsustainable and ever-growing demands on our freshwater resources have taxed aquifers and surface waters in many places, harming ecosystems and threatening future economic growth. A regional water crisis, often triggered by drought, can result in famine, forced migration, and other humanitarian emergencies. Explore the critical problem of water scarcity and some of its associated effects.

Drought is often a driver of serious water crises that can result in famine, forced migration, and regional conflicts over remaining water resources.

Water scarcity can affect local food production and cause devastating famines. Learn more about their causes, effects, and relief efforts.

7 Lakes That Are Drying Up

Lakes can be sensitive to changes in precipitation and water withdrawals from human activity. Learn about seven lakes that are drying up.

Complex Humanitarian Emergency

A water crisis can potentially escalate into a complex humanitarian emergency. Read about these complicated disasters.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO LACK ACCESS TO SAFE AND RELIABLE DRINKING WATER AT HOME

ONE-THIRD OF THE WORLD’S LARGE AQUIFER SYSTEMS ARE IN DISTRESS.

Know the Causes

There are numerous threats to our water resources. Human demands often exceed sustainable water consumption levels, and the pollution we generate harms aquatic systems and renders the contaminated water unsafe to use. In addition, global warming increases the likelihood of extreme weather events, including drought and excessive heat, and is expected put additional stressors on water availability and global distribution. Read more about the causes of our global water crisis.

Water Pollution

Water pollution interferes with the functioning of ecosystems and the human uses of water.

Fracking for natural gas and crude oil consumes and dirties large amounts of water and can contaminate aquifers.

Environmental Infrastructure

Aging and mismanaged environmental infrastructure wastes and contaminates precious water resources.

Industry claims vast amounts of freshwater resources and is also responsible for significant amounts of water pollution.

Editor's Answers

Popular questions.

Have a question of your own? Britannica's Beyond question and answer platform is ready for your questions.

Agriculture, industry, and municipalities are the three largest water consumers worldwide.  Read more.

Less than one percent of Earth’s water is available fresh water.  Read more.

Overuse, water pollution, lack of infrastructure, and changing weather patterns due to climate change are some of the drivers of water scarcity.  Read more.

Rainwater can be used for non-potable uses, including watering plants, which reduces the demand on municipal systems.  Read more.

Domestic sewage is a major source of plant nutrients, mainly nitrates and phosphates. Excess nitrates and phosphates in water promote the growth of algae, sometimes causing unusually dense and rapid growths known as algal blooms. When these blooms die, the process of decomposition uses up dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats.

Did you know?

About 2.6 billion people around the world have gained access to clean water in the last 25 years!

Know the Solutions

One of the best ways to address water scarcity is to conserve water and treat it as something truly precious. Beyond that, there are a number of technological, ecological, and economic solutions that can help ensure that humans and natural systems have sufficient access to safe water. Dive into some of the solutions, and get inspired by the possibilities!

Desalination

Desalination renders salty, unusable waters fit for human consumption, irrigation, industrial applications, and various other uses.

Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting systems can supply households and businesses with water for use in dry seasons and lessen the demand on municipal water supplies.

Ecological Restoration

The restoration of ecosystems that naturally collect, filter, store, and release water, like wetlands, is a key strategy in reducing water scarcity.

Contour Farming

Contour farming has been proven to reduce fertilizer loss and erosion, increase crop yields, and help absorb the impact of heavy rains.

Take Action

The issues facing Earth are big, but imagine the difference we could make if we all took steps to address them. Learn about the small but important changes you can make in your daily life to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, save water, help wildlife, and limit pollution.

• The Water Crisis

The power of water

Water connects every aspect of life. Access to safe water and sanitation can quickly turn problems into potential – empowering people with time for school and work, and contributing to improved health for women, children, and families around the world. 

Today, 2.2 billion people – 1 in 4 – lack access to safe water and 3.5 billion people – 2 in 5 – lack access to a safe toilet. These are the people we empower.

Learn more about the global water crisis >

Learn more about the global sanitation crisis >

A women's crisis

Women are disproportionately affected by the water crisis, as they are often responsible for collecting water. This takes time away from work, school and caring for family. The lack of water and sanitation locks women in a cycle of poverty. 

Empowering women is critical to solving the water crisis. When women have access to safe water at home, they can pursue more beyond water collection and their traditional roles. They have time to work and add to their household income. 

Learn how the water crisis affects women >

Women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection.

A health crisis

The water crisis is a health crisis. More than 1 million people die each year from water, sanitation and hygiene-related diseases which could be reduced with access to safe water or sanitation. Every 2 minutes a child dies from a water-related disease. Access to safe water and sanitation contributes to improved health and helps prevent the spread of infectious disease. It means reduced child and maternal mortality rates. It means reduced physical injury from constant lifting and carrying heavy loads of water. Now more than ever, access to safe water is critical to the health of families around the world.

Read why the water crisis is a health crisis >

A children's and education crisis

Children are often responsible for collecting water for their families. This takes time away from school and play. Access to safe water and sanitation changes this. Reductions in time spent collecting water have been found to increase school attendance, especially for girls. Access to safe water gives children time to play and opportunity for a bright future.

See how the water crisis affects children and their education >

Reductions in time spent collecting water increases school attendance, especially for girls.

An economic crisis

Time spent gathering water or seeking safe sanitation accounts for billions in lost economic opportunities. $260 billion is lost globally each year due to lack of basic water and sanitation. Access to safe water and sanitation at home turns time spent into time saved, giving families more time to pursue education and work opportunities that will help them break the cycle of poverty.

Learn more about how the water crisis is an economic crisis >

A climate crisis

Water is the primary way in which we will feel many of the effects of climate change. Millions of families in poverty live in regions where water access is limited, temporary, or unstable. They are less prepared to face the effects of climate change like temperature extremes, floods, and droughts. Access to sustainable safe water and improved sanitation solutions can support climate resiliency for the people who need it the most.

Read more about the connection between climate change and water access >

By 2025, 50% of the world’s population is projected to live in water-stressed areas as a result of climate change, with low-income families bearing the greatest burden of this crisis.

• World Health Organization and UNICEF. (2023). Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene 2000-2022: Special focus on gender.
• World Health Organization and UNICEF. (2020). Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools: Special focus on COVID-19.
• UN-Water. (2019). Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water.
• World Health Organization and UNICEF. (2020). State of the World's Sanitation: An urgent call to transform sanitation for better health, environments, economies and societies.
• Hutton, G., and M. Varughese. (2020). Global and Regional Costs of Achieving Universal Access to Sanitation to Meet SDG Target 6.2.
• World Health Organization. (2019). Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene.
• World Health Organization, UNICEF, and World Bank. (2022). State of the world’s drinking water: an urgent call to action to accelerate progress on ensuring safe drinking water for all.
• WaterAid. (2021). Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery.

The water crisis affects millions around the world. Make an impact today.

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Water Scarcity Essay

Essay on Water Scarcity

Water is the basic necessity of every human being, but water scarcity is a major issue that is rising very rapidly in India nowadays. The problem has become so severe that in many states the groundwater has almost dried up and people have to depend on water supply from other sources. In addition, water is one of the most misused natural resources that we still waste. It is the central point of our lives but unfortunately, not our priority concern. 

Earlier, people understood the value of water and planned their lives around it. Moreover, many civilizations were born and lost around water, but today, in spite of having knowledge, we still fail to understand the value of water in our lives. 

Reasons for Water Scarcity

Mismanagement of water and the growing population in our country are the two main reasons for water scarcity. There are also a number of other man made disturbances that continue to rise. Besides this, some of the reasons for water scarcity are:  

Wasteful Use of Water for Agriculture  

India, an agricultural country, produces a huge quantity of food to feed its population. The surplus that is left, gets exported outside. 

It is not unknown that producing this much food requires a lot of water too. The traditional method of irrigation wastes a lot of water due to evaporation, water conveyance, drainage, percolation, and the overuse of groundwater. Besides, most of the areas in India use traditional irrigation techniques that stress the availability of water.

However, the technique of irrigation has changed during modern times and we provide water to plants using a sprinkler or drip irrigation.

Reduction in Water Recharges Systems  

Rapid construction that uses concrete and marbles may not let the rainwater get absorbed in the soil, but still, we install some mechanism in our houses so that we can hold the rainwater. Then we can recharge the groundwater.

Lack of Water Management and Distribution

There is a need for an efficient system to manage and distribute the water in urban areas. The Indian government also needs to enhance its technology and investment in water treatment. Besides, we should ensure optimization at the planning level.

Solutions to Overcome this Problem

Close the running tap.

 During dishwashing and hand washing people often let the tap run. These running taps waste thousands of liters of water per year. Therefore, closing the tap will reduce this problem.

Replace Dripping Taps  

In India, it is commonly seen that most of the houses have taps or faucets that go on dripping water even when they are closed. This running tap wastes up to 30,000 liters of water that nobody bothers to change. So, we should replace these taps immediately.

Brief on Water Scarcity  

Water is a basic necessity for every living being.  Life without water is impossible, not just for us humans, but for all plants and animals too. Water scarcity is an issue of grave concern these days as water scarcity has become very common. Water is one of the most wasted natural resources and corrective measures should be taken before the water scarcity situation becomes worse. In spite of being aware of the implications, not much is being done today. 

In India, and across the world, it has been recorded that about half a billion people face a shortage of water for about six months annually. Many well-known cities around the world are facing acute scarcity of water. Many facts and figures are available to know about the water scarcity problem, but what are the reasons for this scarcity? 

With the growing population, the use of water has increased manifold. The lack of more freshwater sources and the increase in population is a major reason for this scarcity. The lack of proper Water management systems and proper drainage systems in India, especially in the urban areas is a major cause too. Kitchen wastewater should be able to be recycled but due to a poor drainage system, this is not possible. An efficient water management system is required in order to distribute water in urban areas.

Another major issue is Deforestation. Areas with more greenery and plants are known to have good rainfall.  Industrialisation and urbanization are two major factors here. Due to Deforestation, and cutting down of trees, rainfall has become an issue too.

Rivers are a major source of fresh water in India. Today we see a lot of industries that have come up and all of them are mostly near the rivers and these rivers become highly polluted as a result of all the industrial waste.

Effect of Global Warming and Climate Change

Global Warming and Climate Change are also responsible for the scarcity of water. The melting of icebergs into the sea due to the rise in temperatures is a reason as to how salty water is increasing day by day instead of freshwater. The percentage of rainfall has decreased drastically these days. Climate change along with the decrease in rainfall percentage has greatly affected freshwater bodies. 

Water scarcity has become a major problem and an alarming issue these days, and we must consciously strive to work together to find some solution to this issue of water scarcity. The Indian government today has formulated and come up with many plans on how to tackle and solve this problem.

To conclude, water scarcity has become an alarming issue day by day. If we do not take the problem of water scarcity seriously now, our future generations are going to suffer severely and may even have to buy this necessity at a high cost.

FAQs on Water Scarcity Essay

1.  What are the reasons for Water Scarcity?

The lack of proper Water Management and proper Drainage system plays a major role. Many other factors and reasons can be held responsible for the scarcity of water. Some of the major reasons are Global Warming and Climate Change; Pollution of the rivers due to industrialization; Deforestation and the cutting down of trees is another reason; Reduced percentage of rainfall due to the climate change pattern; Increase in the population which leads to increase in the use of water.  Learn more about water scarcity on Vedantu website helpful for long-term.

2. What is meant by the scarcity of water?

The scarcity of water means a shortage of water and not being able to manage the demand and supply of water. Water scarcity refers to the lack of freshwater bodies to meet the standard quantity and demand of water. Unequal distribution of water due to factors like Climate Change and Global Warming. Water Scarcity is also due to pollution and lack of rainfall. Water scarcity means a scarcity due to some physical scarcity or scarcity due to the lack of regular supply.

3. What are the two types of water scarcity?

Physical water scarcity is the result of regions' demand outpacing the limited water resources found in that location. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, about 1.2 billion people live in areas of physical scarcity and many of these people live in arid or semi-arid regions. People who are affected by this Physical kind of water scarcity are expected to grow as the population increases and as the weather patterns keep changing as a result of climate change.

Economic water scarcity is due to the lack of proper water infrastructure and a proper water management system or also because of poor management of water resources. The FAO estimates that more than 1.6 billion people face economic water shortages today. Economic water scarcity can also take place because of the unregulated use of water for agriculture and industry.

4.  How can we solve the problem?

Conscious awareness is required to deal with and understand the problem of water scarcity. We can start off by consciously saving water in our homes and surroundings.  Small easy steps like taking care when washing hands, or when working in the kitchen, have to be taken. The running water taps are a major reason for losing hundreds of liters of water on a daily basis. And we should be careful not to waste this water. Conscious decision to save and the need to understand the problem of water scarcity is of utmost importance.

5. How do we waste water?

Water is wasted in ways we do not even realize, in our homes and in our workplaces. When we brush our teeth, when we shave or when we wash the dishes, one of the most common things we do is to keep the water running, especially when running water is available. As soon as we begin cleaning or washing, we do not think of the water that is being wasted. While washing hands, we leave the water tap on, which results in wasting water too. Small things like these should be kept in mind and this could be our small step towards preserving water.

Water Crisis in India – Explained Pointwise

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The recent Bengaluru water crisis has put the spotlight again on the looming water crisis in India. Water starved Bengaluru is facing the looming threat of Day Zero (when government will shut down water connections for homes and businesses). A BBC report , based on UN-projections, had listed Bengaluru in the second position after Brazil’s São Paulo among the 11 global cities that are likely to run out of drinking water.

What is Water Crisis? What is the situation in India?

Water Crisis- Water crisis refers to the situation where the available potable, safe water in a region is less than its demand. The World Bank refers to water scarcity as a condition when the annual per-capita availability is less than 1000 cubic metres .

Water Crisis Situation in India

What are the reasons for the Water Crisis in India?

1. Rising water demand- According to NITI Aayog, India’s water demand is increasing at a rapid rate. India’s water demand will be twice the available supply by 2030 . Also, the rate of depletion of groundwater in India during 2041-2080 will be thrice the current rate.

2. Groundwater use for agriculture – There is high groundwater usage in agriculture  due to faulty cropping patterns. For ex- Water-intensive paddy cultivation in the states of Punjab and Haryana .

3. Encroachment of Natural Water Bodies- There has been destruction of lakes and small ponds to meet the infrastructure needs of burgeoning populations. For ex- Encroachment of lakes in Bengaluru .

4. Climate Change- Climate Change has led to erratic monsoon and reduced water levels in many rivers. This has induced water crisis in India.

5. Discharge of Pollutants-  There has been contamination of groundwater resources by the discharge of industrial chemicals , sewers and improper mining activities .

6. Lack of proactive management policies- Water management policies in India have failed to keep pace with changing demands of time. For ex- The Easement Act of 1882 granting groundwater ownership rights to the landowner leading to indiscriminate use of water resources.

7. Governance issues- a. Water governance in India has been fragmented . The centre and the states have their respective departments for governing various issues related to water. b. There have been separate departments for surface water and groundwater. Central Water Commission ( for surface water ) and Central Ground Water Board ( for groundwater ). c. Politicization of inter-state disputes by the political parties have hindered the quick resolution of disputes.

8. Detached Citizens- Since water is a free resource, it is not valued by the citizens. Citizens are completely detached from the water issues.

What are the impacts of Water Crisis in India?

1. Economic Impact- a. As per World Bank, India’s GDP could decline by as much as 6% by 2050 due to water scarcity. b. Water scarcity will result in decline of food production . This will hamper India’s food security and have serious impacts on the livelihood of farmers and farm labourers. c. Decline in industrial production as Industrial sectors such as textiles, thermal power plants,etc. may suffer due to water shortage

2. Ecological Impact a. Water scarcity may lead to extinction of flora and fauna . b. Heavy metal contamination (Arsenic, cadmium, nickel etc.) and oil spills in rivers and oceans respectively may threaten the marine biodiversity .

3. Social Impact a.  Deterioration of health of children due to intake of contaminated water . It leads to a reduction in human capital. b. The increased out-of-pocket expenditure on medical expenses adversely impacts the poorest and the most vulnerable sections. c. Increased hardships for women like school dropout,’ water wives ‘ to fetch water in drought prone regions .

4. Federal Relations- a. Amplification of the existing inter-state water disputes like Kaveri, Krishna, Godavari. There will be emergence of new disputes in the future. b. There will be a rise in parochial mindset and regionalism among states and may hinder growth of national unity.

5. International Relations- Water scarcity can lead to conflict among nations to get control over the water bodies. For ex- Impact on India-China relations due to Chinese building of dams over Brahmaputra river .

What are the government initiatives?

What should be the Way Forward?

1. Promotion of Water Conservation- Encouraging rainwater harvesting to capture monsoon run-off. Also, traditional water conservation practices like Kudimaramath practice (Tamil Nadu), Ahar Pynes (Bihar), Bamboo Drip irrigation System(North-East) must be revived .

2. Demand-side Management- States can adopt a participatory approach with the involvement of local communities. For ex- The Swajal model adopted by Uttarakhand focussing on community-based management of water resources. Revival of Johads in Rajasthan desert by Rajendra Singh (Waterman of India).

3. Nature-Based Solutions- Nature-based solutions refer to the solutions that mimic natural processes to provide human , ecological and societal benefits . For ex- Artificial Floodplains to increase water retention , Forest management to reduce sediment loadings.

4. River Basin Management- River basin management must be done through hydrological-basin approach rather than administrative boundaries . Also, steps must be taken to promote interlinking of rivers , while addressing its environmental concerns.

5. Evidence-based policy-making- We must create robust water data systems with real-time monitoring capabilities. For ex- Andhra Pradesh’s online water dashboard for mapping of hydrological resources for better policymaking.

6. Implementing the Mihir Shah Committee Report- The Mihir Shah Committee recommendations must be implemented for restructuring the water governance in India: a. Establishing National Water Commission by merging Central Water Commission(CWC) and Central Groundwater Board(CGWB). It would ensure that the surface and the groundwater are taken as a single entity. b. Focussing on management and maintenance of dams rather than construction of dams. c. Adopting a participatory approach to water management.

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Water Conservation Essay

500+ words essay on water conservation.

Water makes up 70% of the earth as well as the human body. There are millions of marine species present in today’s world that reside in water. Similarly, humankind also depends on water. All the major industries require water in some form or the other. However, this precious resource is depleting day by day. The majority of the reasons behind it are man-made only. Thus, the need for water conservation is more than ever now. Through this water conservation essay, you will realize how important it is to conserve water and how scarce it has become.

Water Scarcity- A Dangerous Issue

Out of all the water available, only three per cent is freshwater. Therefore, it is essential to use this water wisely and carefully. However, we have been doing the opposite of this till now.

Every day, we keep exploiting water for a variety of purposes. In addition to that, we also keep polluting it day in and day out. The effluents from industries and sewage discharges are dispersed into our water bodies directly.

Moreover, there are little or no facilities left for storing rainwater. Thus, floods have become a common phenomenon. Similarly, there is careless use of fertile soil from riverbeds. It results in flooding as well.

Therefore, you see how humans play a big role in water scarcity. Living in concrete jungles have anyway diminished the green cover. On top of that, we keep on cutting down forests that are a great source of conserving water.

Nowadays, a lot of countries even lack access to clean water. Therefore, water scarcity is a real thing. We must deal with it right away to change the world for our future generations. Water conservation essay will teach you how.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Water Conservation Essay – Conserving Water

Life without water is not possible. We need it for many things including cleaning, cooking, using the washroom, and more. Moreover, we need clean water to lead a healthy life.

We can take many steps to conserve water on a national level as well as an individual level. Firstly, our governments must implement efficient strategies to conserve water. The scientific community must work on advanced agricultural reforms to save water.

Similarly, proper planning of cities and promotion of water conservation through advertisements must be done. On an individual level, we can start by opting for buckets instead of showers or tubs.

Also, we must not use too much electricity. We must start planting more trees and plants. Rainwater harvesting must be made compulsory so we can benefit from the rain as well.

Further, we can also save water by turning off the tap when we brush our teeth or wash our utensils. Use a washing machine when it is fully loaded. Do not waste the water when you wash vegetables or fruit, instead, use it to water plants.

All in all, we must identify water scarcity as a real issue as it is very dangerous. Further, after identifying it, we must make sure to take steps to conserve it. There are many things that we can do on a national level as well as an individual level. So, we must come together now and conserve water.

FAQ of Water Conservation Essay

Question 1: Why has water become scarce?

Answer 1: Water has become scarce due to a lot of reasons most of which are human-made. We exploit water on a daily basis. Industries keep discharging their waste directly into water bodies. Further, sewage keeps polluting the water as well.

Question 2: How can we conserve water?

Answer 2: The government must plan cities properly so our water bodies stay clean. Similarly, water conservation must be promoted through advertisements. On an individual level, we can start by fixing all our leaky taps. Further, we must avoid showers and use buckets instead to save more water.

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Essay on Water Crisis | Water Scarcity Essay

Essay on water crisis | water scarcity essay.

Water scarcity essay: Here we have written an essay on water crisis covering all the important points viz; meaning of water crisis, reason of water crisis, how to address problem of water scarcity etc. This water scarcity essay has 600 + words and very helpful for all exams.

Essay on Water Crisis

Earth is only planet that has water which is primary source of life without which life is impossible. 70% of our planet is covered with water and so it is easy to think that there is plenty of water and there will be no scarcity of water. But the realty of availability of water is far away from it. The freshwater that we use for drinking, bathing, irrigation etc. is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the total water is fresh water and out of which two-thirds is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.

As a result, billions of people worldwide lack access to fresh water for at least one month during each year. Inadequate sanitation is also a major problem for billions of people. Due to inadequate sanitation they are exposed to water borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever etc.

Many of the water resources that keep our ecosystems thriving and feed entire human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up and becoming too polluted to use to due to excessive  and improper use. Climate change is also altering patterns of weather and water around the world. As a result, it causes shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others.

How to tackle with the problem of water scarcity

While the situation of water crisis is dire, there are many solutions that can be helpful in addressing global water scarcity. These include creating awareness about water scarcity to understand the scope of the issue. In this regard World Water Day is observed every year on 22 March  with a specific to theme to create awareness about this vital resource of earth. Use of new technologies like wastewater recycling, energy-efficient desalination plants, solar and UV water filtration, nanofiltration, and rainwater harvesting systems can also be very helpful in addressing water scarcity.

Also Read: Essay on Global Warming

As almost 70% of fresh water is used in agriculture, making agricultural irrigation more efficient can be helpful in addressing water crisis. Enhanced soil moisture sensors, monitoring, weather stations, and communications systems should be use to get accurate data to ensure water is not wasted. In addition to this, growing seasonal and less water-intensive crops should also be explored and more  focused.

Reducing water pollution is also critical step to improving access to clean water. Individual, industries and all consumers should dispose of toxic substances safely rather than pour them down into drain.

Water Crisis in India

Though more than half of earth covered with water, disastrous water crisis is creeping  on the world from a very long time and in India water crisis is constant. 17 % of world population live in India but it posses only 4% of world’s water resources. Some parts of India facing drought while others are facing flood. Ground water level is constantly declining. Green revolution which made India self-reliant in terms of food grains, is also a reason of water crisis. Some states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are producing rice by using too much water which is not the natural crop of these areas. Too much Irrigation in agriculture land making land unfertile and provoking the water crisis.

Also Read: Essay on Natural Disaster

Ground water is not only source of fresh water, rain water can also be stored and used for daily needs. Adopting rainwater harvesting and recharging groundwater is one of the simplest and best measures in conserving water. Some states like Tamilnadu are already doing good in rain water harvesting. This practice can efficiently be implemented in lieu of traditional water supplies that are currently on the verge of tapping out water resources. We cannot generate water so water is precious resource and we all should use is carefully.

A famous poet Raheem Das said- “Raheeman Pani Rakhiye Bin Pani Sab Soon,  Pani gaye na ubre moti manush choon”

Meaning - Conserve and save water because without water everything is zero, if it disappeared from the earth, ecosystem and human life  too would disappear with it.

Hope you liked this essay on water crisis and it helped you in your preparation. You may download PDF essay on important topics from here for your exams.

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Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
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Introduction

Causes of water crisis, global warming, solutions to global warming, overpopulation, solutions to overpopulation, water crises in pakistan.

There is a global water crisis due to global warming, pollution, and overpopulation. The has resulted in shortage of potable water for human consumption. More than 2 billion people in the world do not have access to fresh water. Global warming speeds up melting of polar ice and glaciers.

On the other hand, overpopulation increases demand and consumption of potable water. Global warming can be stopped by reducing carbon emissions and stopping deforestation. Overpopulation can be solved through education and family planning.

Pakistan is an example of a country that is experiencing a severe water crisis. Solutions to the crisis include development of reservoirs and management of available sources. In order to solve the global water crisis, it is important to reduce global warming and manage population growth.

Water crisis is a global issue that affects many countries. It occurs when potable water is unavailable to fulfill the demands of the population in a given region or country. Research indicates that the problem affects more than 2.8 billion people in the world.

According to a report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), many countries experience water scarcity due to poor management of available water resources (Maestu, 2013). Growing demand for water and the consequent depletion of available resources are major factors that contribute towards unavailability of clean water in many countries.

Common causes of water scarcity include overpopulation e in regions that have limited water resources, global warming, destruction of water catchment areas by human activities, and pollution of water sources (Maestu, 2013). Global warming and overpopulation are the most common and severe causes of water scarcity.

Global warming has adverse effects on availability of freshwater for human consumption. It increases the rate at which glaciers melt, thus speeding up the depletion of water sources (Maestu, 2013). Glaciers play an important role as water sources. For example, the Himalayan glaciers act as potent sources of water for rivers in India, Southeast Asia, and China.

Disappearance of glaciers results in ecological catastrophes that cause serious water shortages. On the other hand, global warming contributes towards melting of polar ice, which releases potable water into seas that contain salty water (Maestu, 2013).

However, this has little effect on supply of fresh water. Global warming increases the level of water quantity that the atmosphere can hold. This causes heavy rainfall that results in fast movement of water through the hydrological cycle.

Solutions to global warming include reduction of emissions and eradication of deforestation (Maestu, 2013). Some gases released into the atmosphere absorb and retain heat thus increasing global temperatures. Reducing carbon emissions is important in order to reduce global warming.

Deforestation increases the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because trees play a vital role in absorption of carbon dioxide. Therefore, it is important to stop deforestation in order to promote removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Finally, it is also important to embrace alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar energy that have no emissions (Maestu, 2013).

Another cause of the global water crisis is overpopulation. Overpopulation increases consumption of available fresh water sources (Maestu, 2013). As the population grows, demand increases. The problem is worsened by depletion of available water sources without replenishment.

Overpopulation also increases human activities that cause water pollution. Water pollution increases the scarcity of potable water (Maestu, 2013). For example, a high population increases demand for food supplies. High demand increases activities such as cultivation and farming that contribute towards pollution of water sources.

Solutions to overpopulation include family planning, education, and establishment of government policies (Maestu, 2013). People should be educated on the consequences of having many children on their future sustainability.

In addition, married couples should be taught how to use family planning methods to manage the sizes of their families. Finally, the government should enact policies and give incentives that control the number of children that couples bear in order to prevent overpopulation.

Pakistan is experiencing a severe water crisis. Causes of the crisis include bad irrigation systems, water wastage, and bad management practices. The solution to the water crisis in Pakistan comprises two aspects that include water development and water management (Maestu, 2013). The government should construct dams in order to store more water for domestic use and irrigation.

In addition, development of a water management strategy is important in order to reduce water wastage. Water scarcity is caused by several factors that include leakages, infiltration, and seepages. People should be educated about the consequences of wasting water as well as the benefits of conserving water (Maestu, 2013).

Pakistan should embrace modern methods of irrigation such as drip irrigation that will reduce wastage. The rotation based irrigation system used in the country should be replaced with a more efficient system that promotes conservation of water (Maestu, 2013).

The global water crisis has affected many people around the world. It has reduced the amount of potable water available for human consumption. Major causes of the crisis include global warming and overpopulation. Pakistan is experiencing a severe water crisis because of its poor irrigation system and water conservation practices.

The country is suffering despite the fact that is has access to several water resources. Solutions to the crisis include reducing global warming and controlling population growth. It is important to conserve the environment because its destruction will aggravate the problem.

Maestu, J. (2013). Water Trading and Global Water Scarcity: International Experiences . New York: Routledge.

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IvyPanda. (2019, April 21). Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions. https://ivypanda.com/essays/global-water-issues-essay/

"Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions." IvyPanda , 21 Apr. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/global-water-issues-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions'. 21 April.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions." April 21, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/global-water-issues-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . "Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions." April 21, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/global-water-issues-essay/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Water Scarcity as a Global Issue: Causes and Solutions." April 21, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/global-water-issues-essay/.

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Bengaluru's Water Crisis: A Wake-Up Call for India

• 08 Mar 2024
• 13 min read
• GS Paper - 3
• Environmental Pollution & Degradation
• GS Paper - 1
• Water Resources

This editorial is based on the article “Bengaluru's worst water crisis leaves country's IT capital high and dry” which was published in the Times of India on 07/03/2024. The article talks about the severe water crisis in Bengaluru and assesses the government’s efforts to alleviate the situation.

For Prelims: Water Crisis , Cauvery River , Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) , MGNREGA for water conservation , National Water Mission , Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) , Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) , National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) , One Water Approach.

For Mains: State of the groundwater crisis in India, Steps to Address the Water Crisis in India.

Bengaluru is facing a worsening water crisis , leading to significant shortages in various areas. According to the reports, 223 of the 236 talukas in Karnataka are affected by drought, including Mandya and Mysuru districts, the sources of Bengaluru’s water.

As summer intensifies, about 7,082 villages across Karnataka are at risk of witnessing a drinking water crisis in the coming months.

What are the Reasons Behind Bengaluru's Severe Water Scarcity?

• The city has witnessed insufficient rainfall in the past couple of monsoons. This has significantly impacted the Cauvery River, a primary source of water for the city. Lower river levels mean less water for drinking and agriculture.
• Karnataka received a 38% deficit in north-east Monsoon showers from October to December. The State received a 25% deficit in southwest monsoon rain from June to September.
• As per information from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre (KSNDMC), the water levels in Cauvery Basin reservoirs like Harangi, Hemavathi, and Kabini are at 39% of their total capacity as of 2024.
• Bengaluru's explosive growth has resulted in the concretisation of natural landscapes that used to absorb rainwater. This reduces groundwater recharge and increases surface runoff, leading to less water percolation.
• Residents rely on borewells to supplement the water supply. However, with falling rain and excessive extraction, groundwater levels are rapidly declining, causing many borewells to dry up.
• The city's infrastructure, including water supply systems and sewage networks, has not kept pace with its rapid growth. This inadequacy exacerbates the challenges of distributing water efficiently to meet the demands of the expanding population.
• The anticipated completion of Phase-5 of the Cauvery project, designed to provide 110 litres of drinking water daily to 12 lakh people, is expected by May 2024.
• Changing weather patterns, including erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts, attributed to climate change, have reduced the availability of water in Bengaluru's reservoirs and natural water bodies.
• The Indian Meteorological Department attributes the region's poor rainfall to the El Niño phenomenon.
• Pollution from industrial discharge, untreated sewage, and solid waste dumping has contaminated water sources, rendering them unfit for consumption and further reducing the available water supply.
• A study conducted by the Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) states that about 85% of Bengaluru’s water bodies are polluted by industrial effluents, sewage, and solid waste dumping.
• Inefficient water management practices, including wastage, leakage, and unequal distribution of water resources, contribute to the severity of the water scarcity crisis, with some areas receiving inadequate or irregular water supply.
• Disputes over water sharing between Karnataka and neighbouring states, particularly with regard to rivers like the Cauvery, further complicate efforts to manage and secure water resources for Bengaluru's residents.
• There is an ongoing tussle between the central and state governments concerning the distribution and allocation of funds aimed at addressing the drought situation in Karnataka.

What is the Current State of the Groundwater Crisis in India?

• Despite supporting 17% of the world's population, India possesses only 4% of the world's freshwater resources, making it challenging to meet the water needs of its vast populace.
• A report titled “Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)”, published by NITI Aayog in June 2018, mentioned that India was undergoing the worst water crisis in its history; that nearly 600 million people were facing high to extreme water stress ; and about 200,000 people were dying every year due to inadequate access to safe water.
• India is the largest groundwater user in the world , with an estimated usage of around 251 bcm per year, more than a quarter of the global total.
• With more than 60% of irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water supplies dependent on it, and growing industrial/urban usage, groundwater is a vital resource.
• It is projected that the per capita water availability will dip to around 1400 m3 in 2025, and further down to 1250 m3 by 2050.
• Groundwater contamination is the presence of pollutants such as bacteria, phosphates, and heavy metals from human activities including domestic sewage.
• The NITI Aayog report mentioned that India was placed at the rank of 120 amongst 122 countries in the water quality index, with nearly 70% of water being contaminated.
• In parts of India, high levels of arsenic, fluoride, nitrate, and iron are also naturally occurring in groundwater, with concentrations likely to rise as water tables fall.
• The water crisis in India is compounded by a growing demand for clean water, particularly from a fast-growing middle class, and widespread practices of open defecation, leading to health-related concerns.
• 163 Million Indians lack access to safe drinking water.
• 210 Million Indians lack access to improved sanitation.
• 21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water.
• 500 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea each day in India.
• The NITI Aayog report projected the country’s water demand to be twice the available supply by 2030, implying severe scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual loss in the country’s GDP.
• The rate of depletion of groundwater in India during 2041-2080 will be thrice the current rate with global warming, according to a new report.
• Across climate change scenarios, the researchers found that their estimate of Groundwater Level (GWL) declines from 2041 to 2080 is 3.26 times current depletion rates on average (from 1.62-4.45 times) depending on the Climate model and Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenario.

What are the Key Government Schemes To Tackle The Groundwater Crisis in India?

• MGNREGA for water conservation
• Jal Kranti Abhiyan
• National Water Mission
• Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY)
• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

What Steps Should Be Taken to Address the Water Crisis in India?

• The national interlinking of rivers (ILR) is the idea that rivers should be inter-connected, so that water from the surplus rivers and regions could be transferred to deficient regions and rivers to address the issue of water scarcity.
• Implementing water conservation measures at individual, community, and national levels is crucial.
• This includes promoting rainwater harvesting, efficient irrigation techniques, and minimising water wastage in domestic, industrial, and agricultural sectors.
• Allocate adequate financial resources for water infrastructure development, maintenance, and rehabilitation.
• Explore innovative financing mechanisms such as public-private partnerships, water tariffs, and user fees to mobilise funding for water projects.
• Encourage farmers to adopt water-efficient farming practices such as drip irrigation, precision agriculture, crop rotation, and agroforestry.
• Providing incentives and subsidies for implementing water-saving technologies can facilitate this transition.
• As per the MS Swaminathan committee report on ‘More Crop and Income Per Drop of Water’ (2006) , drip and sprinkler irrigation can save around 50% of water in crop cultivation and increase the yield of crops by 40-60%.
• Combat water pollution by enforcing strict regulations on industrial discharge, sewage treatment, and agricultural runoff.
• Implementing wastewater treatment plants and adopting eco-friendly practices can help reduce pollution levels in rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources.
• Strengthen water governance frameworks by enacting and enforcing water-related legislation, policies, and regulatory mechanisms.
• Establishing local, regional, and national water management authorities can facilitate coordinated decision-making and implementation of water management strategies.
• Introducing minimum support policies for less water-intensive crops can reduce the pressure on agricultural water use.
• Strengthening community participation and rights in groundwater governance can improve groundwater management.
• World Bank projects for groundwater governance in peninsular India were successful on several fronts by implementing the Participatory Groundwater Management approach (PGM).
• One Water Approach , also referred to as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), is the recognition that all water has value, regardless of its source.
• It includes managing that source in an integrated, inclusive and sustainable manner by including the community, business leaders, industries, farmers, conservationists, policymakers, academics and others for ecological and economic benefits.

By fostering inclusive participation from all stakeholders, and implementing sound policies that prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term gains, India can pave the way towards a future where every Indian has access to safe and reliable groundwater.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Q. What are the benefits of implementing the ‘Integrated Watershed Development Programme’? (2014)

• Prevention of soil runoff
• Linking the country’s perennial rivers with seasonal rivers
• Rainwater harvesting and recharge of groundwater table
• Regeneration of natural vegetation

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only  (b) 2, 3 and 4 only  (c) 1, 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q. What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India? (2019)

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Cauvery: From crisis to cascade of hope Premium

In an intense water conflict such as the cauvery, the version of the affected parties, in times of crisis, cannot be expected to be impartial.

Updated - September 05, 2024 03:27 pm IST

The Cauvery flows near the Nimishamba temple in Karnataka’s Srirangapatna on August 9, 2024. File | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash

The Cauvery river now presents a picture of calmness, much to the relief of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

In early July, both States were on the brink of a water crisis. However, since the second half of July, nature brought a dramatic change in the situation with rains, bringing copious inflow to the river. The situation turned positive with regard to the realisation of water by Tamil Nadu — from deficit to “over surplus.” In a matter of 15 days, Tamil Nadu received its entire share — even marginally higher — for July and August, as mandated in the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT)’s final award of 2007, which was modified by the Supreme Court in February 2018. The spell of surplus flows continued in the subsequent weeks.

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Totally, as of September 2, the lower riparian State received about 181 tmc ft since June 1, the inaugural date of any water year, whereas the stipulated quantum for the entire year — up to May 2025 — is 177.25 tmc ft. The Tribunal and the Court have fixed Tamil Nadu’s share for July at 31.24 tmc ft; for August — 45.95 tmc ft and for September — 36.76 tmc ft. The southwest monsoon is crucial for both States, as it represents the wettest period for Karnataka and yields the highest quantum of (123.14 tmc ft) of water for Tamil Nadu. So, barring the initial five or six weeks, the 2024-25 water year has not been problematic for the two principal riparian States.

Implementation mechanism

The current year is in stark contrast to the corresponding period (June-September 2) of last year when the aggregate realisation by Tamil Nadu was a mere 33.2 tmc ft. A close perusal of the data of 30 years (1994-95 to 2023-24) reveals that on 11 occasions, the realisation during June-September was less than 100 tmc ft, as against the stipulated 123.14 tmc ft. This means that at least once in three years, there is distress. This is where the final award’s implementation mechanism — Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) — and the Supreme Court assume importance, of course, apart from the spirit of accommodation.

The efficacy of the CWMA and its assisting body Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), as institutional arrangements, was put to test during 2023-24. Unlike its predecessor, the Cauvery River Authority, which was a high-profile setup with the Prime Minister as the chairperson and Chief Ministers of all the basin States as Members, the CWMA is headed by a full-time official with government officers of all the States and various departments of the Union government. Many of their decisions last year were not to the liking of the two States, but given the constraints, the performance of the CWMA and CWRC can be considered satisfactory.

Needless to say, there is enormous scope for improvement on their part. First, there should be greater transparency in their functioning. Both the Authority and the Committee will have to make public, as quickly as possible, all their decisions in writing. In an intense water conflict such as the Cauvery, the version of the affected parties, in times of crisis, cannot be expected to be impartial. Even otherwise, dissemination of authentic information is vital in an inter-State water dispute. If the authority is constrained by a shortage of manpower, in carrying out its functions effectively, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti should intervene and solve the problem.

Moreover, the Authority should enlarge its composition from being a body of only officials to one of multi-disciplinary and a mix of officials and non-officials, who could be drawn from farmers, environmentalists, and independent water experts. The Union government could follow the example of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Act. The law provides for six non-official directors on the Board of the water agency, which includes persons to represent the interests of the public, industrial, and commercial establishments.

As for the composition of the CWMA, the implementation mechanism that the Tribunal had in mind is only recommendatory and there is no bar on the Union government to fine-tune it. The presence of a non-official environmentalist can push the government to take the problem of environmental degradation of the much-venerated river more seriously in view of the challenges being caused by climate change.

Water shortage

The “feel good factor” prevalent now can be used to look at the problem of Bengaluru’s drinking water shortage, which assumed a serious proportion earlier this year. The Supreme Court, in its 2018 judgment, made a special allocation of 4.75 tmc ft for the city while the Karnataka government has been pressing for implementing the ₹ 9,000-crore Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-Drinking Water Project. At present, the Mekedatu project is before the Central Water Commission.

Given the trust deficit between the two States (which explains the reason behind Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the project), the idea of the participation of a third party — say, the Union government — can be explored to execute not only the Mekedatu project but also any other project, including hydro-electric across the Cauvery, upstream of the Mettur reservoir.After all, attempts made since the late 1990s in this regard failed. There is no harm in making yet another earnest attempt as the intention is to optimally utilise the precious water resource which, if untapped, will go to waste, as is happening now.

Published - September 05, 2024 02:06 am IST

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rivers / water rights / Karnataka / Tamil Nadu

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Water crisis continues causing trouble for Ashburton residents

Communities in ashburton have been battling the issues of water shortages since the week started due to multiple bursts disturbing their pipe..

Communities in Ashburton have been battling the issues of water shortages since the week has started due to multiple bursts disturbing their pipe.

A certain amount of Ashburton areas are still without water after the area has been getting numerous pipe bursts since the week started. Relevant officials and the Msunduzi Municipality have been kept in the loop.

ALSO READ |  Ashburton water woes continue

A resident who is now fuming with anger said this is ‘unhygienic’.

“This is unhygienic, my animals are going to suffer, my kids do not have clean clothes, we also cannot shower and we can’t even clean, the place is unhealthy for people to be living in,” said Mel de Lange.

De Lange also said that the households that are experiencing water issues are numerous, its Railway station, sections 1,2,3 and 4, Wally Hayward Drive and other areas which get their supply from this pipe too.

The water issue has been going on for the whole week now, the area has been experiencing this situation after there was a burst pipe at the back of SPAR superstore, near the bottle store in the starting of this week. Municipality workers arrived to fix the bursts that occurred.

“Municipal workers are working tirelessly to end the water crisis they even leave sight at night,” according to the Councillor, Edith Elliott.

“Yesterday they nocked-off around 10 pm busy fixing the last burst which was the source of the water shortage.

“As some of the plumbers are not familiar with where the valves are located. So, one team starts the work and turns off the water at the valves, then a different team not familiar with the location of the valves comes in and forgets a valve shut,” Elliot said.

ALSO READ |  Burst water pipe affects Ashburton

Elliot also said that this is causing confusion because the municipal workers are showing to be short-staffed, they didn’t send someone who is more qualified with the work and someone who knows how valves operate.

No water tankers or bottled water has been offered to the residents since the problem has been going on.

The Witness tried to reach out to the Msunduzi Municipality and they have been going sideways on this matter.

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Justice & Health

Customers sue an arizona water district amid drought and surging demand., in strawberry, arizona, a lack of community outreach and confusion over how drought was impacting the water district sparked a messy battle over drilling a new deep well..

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STRAWBERRY, Ariz.—Nearly two years ago, officials with the Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District seemed on the verge of finding a solution to their water woes. 

Located between Phoenix and Flagstaff, the water infrastructure of these two rural unincorporated communities of roughly 3,000 in Gila County was failing. Wells constructed by ranchers decades ago and sold to the water district were failing from age and poor construction, and over a third of the water they pumped from the ground leaked from the aging pipes.

Concern over the area’s water supply had been documented for decades. Studies showed that in the summer months, when Phoenix area residents head to the mountains around Strawberry and Pine to escape the hottest major city in the country, increasing the community’s population to 8,000 and doubling the amount of water required by its residents, the district couldn’t meet demand on its thirstiest day. And in 2021, the district issued a moratorium on new water meters for the community, effectively killing future growth. 

The problem was framed as one brought on by the drought that had gripped the Southwest for two decades, and the water district worked to secure federal funding to fix its crumbling infrastructure. It spent millions fixing leaky pipes and failing wells.

Explore the latest news about what’s at stake for the climate during this election season.

But if the community was to grow, it needed a new, more reliable source of water. In Pine-Strawberry, the community, like many rural areas around the country, is entirely reliant on groundwater, and the easiest solution would be to drill a new deep well. A hydrologist identified multiple locations they could choose from, but the district’s board members determined they were too expensive and would be too difficult to build on.

Instead, the water district bought a house in a subdivision and in the summer of 2023 and began digging a new deep well. 

Then its customers sued the district. 

“There was no case made on why they need this. They just sort of went and did it.”

The only notice neighbors of the project received about the plan came after the site’s trees had been cut down and the well’s construction got started. Locals of the subdivision were left to figure out for themselves what was happening, and what the local water district thought was a simple plan to drill a new well turned into a lawsuit in which a judge ruled its construction must stop, the water district beginning the process of using eminent domain to continue pursuing its work, a recall election for the district’s board and a community uncertain of its water future. 

“They did zero public outreach. There was no public discussion on this,” said David Diggs, a homeowner of the subdivision who joined the lawsuit against the water improvement district. “There was no case made on why they need this. They just sort of went and did it. And as smart as they are, I like to think that the collective intelligence of the community would be even smarter to try to figure this out going forward. You kind of need to build community support for these projects, and this group has just kind of gone rogue.”

The Questions

No one in the community is against having a good supply of water, said Dave Cady, a Strawberry resident who also was part of the lawsuit. After all, this is Arizona, he said. Rather, they are opposed to the lack of community engagement and communication for the project. “They’re beating themselves to death trying to justify it,” he said.

At the heart of it all were simple questions residents felt were left unanswered: What was the condition of the local aquifer—the community’s only source of water? How was the worst drought the Southwest has seen in 1,200 years impacting the Pine-Strawberry community? Why did the district choose to drill the deep well in the middle of a subdivision and not somewhere away from people’s homes?

A review of state groundwater data shows water levels have remained relatively stable in the region, though data in Strawberry itself is limited. And while the board initially framed the water issues they are responding to as driven by drought, members have taken a different stance in more recent public meetings. 

“It’s not about a drought. It’s not about wells going dry,” said George Gorkowski, vice chairman of the board in a 2023 public meeting about the moratorium . “It’s about we have a finite amount of wells that put out a finite amount of gallons per minute and we have a finite amount of people adjoined to them. We’re really talking more of a system issue, than we are a case where we got wells drying up and water’s going away.”

The ensuing fallout has left the local community uncertain of the condition of its water supply, and if an expensive deep well to accommodate future growth is necessary if existing but failing water infrastructure was repaired. The debacle also serves as an example of how messy and complicated plans to address water shortages in drought-stricken Arizona can become as millions of dollars are earmarked to address such problems across the state.

Cory Ellsworth, the chairman of the Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District, said the district recognizes it failed to communicate the details of the project to the community, but noted they didn’t think the site of the deep well would be an issue as the home already has a more shallow well the district had been pulling water from for years. The site made the most sense, he said, as others identified were more expensive and would have been challenging for the contractors to build on.

The lawsuit made it difficult to have discussions with the community about the decision, he said.

If the board could go back in time, he added, they would handle the situation differently, but ultimately they don’t regret the site choice or the plan for a deep well.

“The right things are being done for the right reasons,” Ellsworth said. “Do we always get it perfectly right? For sure, not. But we’re just trying our best.”

The Aquifer 

Nestled between the Colorado Plateau of northern Arizona and the Sonoran desert in the state’s southern half, the Mogollon Rim has become famous for its views. It’s home to Pine and Strawberry, with their endless rows of Ponderosa pines, and the iconic city of Sedona backdropped by famous red rock formations. 

It’s also home to aquifers unlike any others in Arizona—or the lack of them.

In the northern end of the state, bedrock aquifers are made up of rocks like those found in the region’s iconic canyonlands—like the Grand Canyon—that have porosity, meaning water can pass through them and be stored. In places like Phoenix, groundwater is found in alluvial aquifers, where the basins are filled with unconsolidated materials like sand, gravel and clay that water can seep between. 

The Mogollon Rim is instead composed of a fractured bedrock system that provides no water storage in the traditional sense. Instead, the scarce resource is found in fractures between the rocks that are fed from surface water supplies like streams, rivers, rain and snowmelt that seeps into the ground and is often caught in the fractures. 

If a well isn’t drilled into one of the fractures, it won’t hit water. Drilling as deeply as possible at the intersection of two or more fractures gives the greatest odds of tapping a significant supply. “The primary porosity of these rocks is generally inadequate for storage and conveyance of appreciable amounts of groundwater,” a well siting report conducted for the water improvement district in 2022 stated. “That is to say, the void spaces between sediment grains in

these rocks are insufficient alone to constitute acceptable aquifer conditions. Rather, those conditions are provided by secondary porosity from joints, fractures, and faulting in these rocks.”

The study conducted a fracture trace analysis, which maps the breaks in the ground that water can fill in to make up the region’s “shallow aquifers.”

According to the report, a well deeper than 1,300 feet would encounter another aquifer in carbonate rocks, like the Redwall Limestone found along the walls of the Grand Canyon, that would provide a reliable supply of groundwater. 

So for a new deep well, the report mapped five locations where multiple fractures intersected to provide shallower groundwater and deeper drilling would reach the second aquifer. 

Ellsworth, the chairman of the Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District, said the water district evaluated those site locations, but ultimately they were not suitable because of the price or the difficulties they would encounter during construction. They settled on the Strawberry location, as it was for sale and the district already pulled water from the shallow well located on the property. That site also made sense because more wells had failed in Strawberry than Pine, leading Pine to send water to Strawberry. 

“I don’t know that the idea of putting another well on that property and having a storage tank jumped off the page as something that needed to be carefully orchestrated with the community,” he said. 

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However, locals of the subdivision quickly pushed back once they learned of the plan and realized that the Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District had done no public outreach. A former member of the district’s board of supervisors who was involved in the deep well site selection process before resigning said he had warned the board members that proceeding without community outreach would cause issues, though he has no problem with the location itself and recognizes a more reliable source of water is vital for the community’s future.  

“They’d already purchased the property, and they were, you know, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead. They don’t care what anybody thinks. ‘We’re the water district, we can do whatever we want,’” said Tom Reski, the former supervisor, who has since tried to mediate the tensions over the deep well’s location. “ I told them ‘We’re going to get our asses sued. Mark my words, we’re going to get sued over this.’”

The Litigants

Since the judge ruled construction on the deep well must stop, two excavators have sat quietly in front of the house where it was being drilled, surrounded by piles of dirt, fencing and long pipes. 

Across the street is Tiffany Halperin’s home. Her grandfather purchased the land in the early 1970s, along with its well, and then spent the following years building a cabin that the family could visit during the summer and gather at for holidays and celebrations, as do many families who have purchased land in Strawberry. Eventually, the cabin became Tiffany’s responsibility, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, she moved her family there full time to escape the crowds of the city and give her children the rural experiences she had as a child. 

Her main worry, however, was water, and she didn’t want to devote time and money to fixing up the property if the community was going to run out of it.

When she spoke to many of her neighbors, “it sounded like any second you would turn the faucet on and the water would run out,” Halperin said. But when she went to the water district’s board of supervisors’ meetings, “there wasn’t that sense of urgency.”

Then one weekend, she arrived at the cabin to see tractors had uprooted the trees around the house across the street. Halperin asked around and eventually learned the home had been purchased by the water district and was to be the site of the new deep well. So she began knocking on her neighbors’ doors to see if anyone had been notified of the project. “Nobody knew who bought the property,” she said. “I was the first to inform them.”

Halperin’s day job is in urban design and architecture and is used to designing projects and working with communities, which left her shocked no one had been notified. Neighborhood meetings were not fruitful, leading Halperin and some of her neighbors to hire a lawyer to stop the construction of the deep well. At the time, the water district’s lawyer said in a letter that a lawsuit would be “a futile waste of money.” But in the end, a judge ruled the district had violated the neighborhood’s zoning declarations, and ordered the water district to pay the neighbors’ legal fees. 

Given the project’s label as a “deep well,” the neighbors were concerned it would outcompete their own properties’ wells, as well as others in the nearby area the water district used. Reports commissioned by the water district cautioned that if a deep well was to be drilled, it should be located away from other wells. 

That’s a valid concern for other types of aquifers, like in Phoenix, where wells can create a cone of depression, drawing down the water table near it and potentially impacting other, shallower wells nearby. Hydrologists say the fractured bedrock system found in Strawberry doesn’t pose that same risk. But that was never clearly communicated with neighbors who were largely unaware of how the groundwater below Strawberry differs from most other aquifers found in the state.

The district’s board of supervisors in June unanimously voted to allow its attorneys “to take all actions and spend all funds necessary or convenient to extinguish any encumbrances, restrictive covenants, restrictions, easements or other limitations concerning the use of Lot 26”—the site of the deep well—and pursue eminent domain to bypass the property’s zoning. The language prompted pushback from the community during that hearing, with those in attendance saying it was an overreach of the board’s authority. 

Ellsworth, the chairman of the board, said the district still intends to complete the project and plans to better communicate with the community. 

“We’re gonna spruce that up to be the prettiest place in the neighborhood and will appropriate the dollars to make that happen and to get things planted’” he said. “The community is just going to have to take that on faith, but that has always been our intent.”

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Wyatt Myskow covers drought, biodiversity and the renewable energy transition throughout the Western U.S. Based in Phoenix, he previously reported for The Arizona Republic and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Wyatt has lived in the Southwest since birth and graduated from Arizona State University with his bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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