Water is a scarce resource. It must be properly managed and distributed fairly and justly to users, ensuring that there is enough for the environment.
Some communities in developing countries suffer from a lack of proper infrastructure and planning.
What is water scarcity?
Water scarcity can refer to a lack of supply due to a physician shortage, a lack of access due to institutions failing to guarantee a consistent supply, or a lack of suitable infrastructure.
Every continent already suffers from a lack of water.
Since 1900, the rate at which water demand has increased worldwide has increased at a rate that is more than twice that of population growth, and more and more regions, particularly dry ones, are approaching the point at which water services cannot be provided sustainably.
Ways to deal with water scarcity 2022
Protect (or improve) the quality of available water in an area
The best-case scenario for a town is frequently the presence of a natural spring. If that is the case, we cooperate with the neighborhood to safeguard the source so that it can keep supplying water.
Protective structures can prevent contamination and human and animal interference on the ground above and surrounding the water source.
However, there are ways to raise the quality if there is a source of non-potable water.
Desalination of seawater is possible on a large scale as well as on an individual level using portable devices.
Similarly, the germs and pathogens that cause typhoid, cholera and other watery illnesses can be eliminated using water purification tablets and other techniques.
Collect and store rainwater to use later on
In areas with sufficient precipitation, collecting and storing rainwater is one of the most basic and affordable solutions to the problem of water scarcity.
A rainwater harvesting system accomplishes precisely what its name suggests: when it rains, we can gather water for storage and future use using a catchment surface, which is a properly prepared and designated area to collect water.
If the location has regular and sufficient rains, this has many advantages. In general, rainwater collecting is simple for communities to maintain and doesn’t need a lot of technology.
Rainwater usually requires less processing to make it potable if it is gathered properly.
Although it may not be the best option for drinking water, this is a great backup for agriculture, animals, schools and hospitals.
Understand that the impacts of climate change are not going to go away and build resilience against climate disasters
Climate change is real and will get worse before it gets better. Water shortage is one of its effects; with every 1 °C increase, 500 million additional people will see a 20% decline in renewable water supplies.
Many of the effects of climate change cannot be reversed at this time. However, we can help the people that are most affected by the climate catastrophe strengthen their resilience to it by implementing plans that safeguard their water supplies in emergencies.
Our efforts in this area include managing watersheds, reforesting regions that have been cleared of trees, conserving soil and water, and rehabilitating the land.
Find more effective ways of using the water we need in our day-to-day lives
The first five solutions on this list are all illustrations of the work Concern undertakes with local communities that experience severe water scarcity.
However, water stewardship is a global duty, and we require the support of every community around the globe.
Although assessments indicate that future dangers for water shortages are not limited to low-income nations or regions near the equator, many of the countries where Concern works are water-stressed now.
For instance, in Concern’s work with Climate Smart Agriculture, we employ soil coverings to assist prolong the time that water remains in the ground and prevent evaporation.
The first five recommendations on this list provide examples of the work Concern does with nearby communities that are severely water-short.
But water stewardship is a global responsibility, and we need the backing of every community on the planet. Despite evaluations showing that low-income countries or areas close to the equator are not the only ones at risk from future water shortages, many of the countries Concern works in are now facing water shortages.
For instance, as part of Concern’s work on climate-smart agriculture, we use soil coverings to help extend the amount of time that water remains in the ground and stop evaporation.
Eliminate water dumping and reduce other pollutive activities and find safe and sustainable ways to recycle wastewater
However, none of us can address the water crisis by ourselves. According to the NRDC, 80% of the wastewater produced worldwide is released back into the environment untreated.
Ending water dumping and other harmful practices that contaminate drinking water must be a top priority for both governments and businesses.
This includes businesses with headquarters in high-income nations but that outsource their manufacturing to underdeveloped nations.
Actions that forbid and enforce limitations on wastewater dumping save lives because water contamination causes an estimated 1 billion deaths each year.
Build community focus and ownership around local water systems and resources:
The worst water stress solutions are those that the community cannot continue once an organization like Concern departs. No number of hand pumps or infrastructure upgrades are successful if they break down quickly.
Concern makes significant investments in collaborating with the community to foster ownership and improve skills for future management of all initiatives, including our water, sanitation, and hygiene projects, to avoid this problem.
By electing members of the community to administer and oversee their local water resources, water management committees (WMCs) can help to strengthen local representation.
Additionally, we educate WMC members and other community leaders on managing their resources (initially built with their input).
As many rivers, lakes and aquifers traverse international borders and are shared by several countries, it is necessary to establish a common vocabulary around and prioritize water quality.
Only 24 nations indicated in the same 2021 UN-Water report that operational agreements for cooperation covered all rivers, lakes and aquifers shared with neighbors.
Less than one-fifth of the Sustainable Development Goal target has been reached.
Importance of development and adoption
Water policy should help humanity by proceeding with the humane objectives of eliminating risky scarcity.
However, these goals have recently been faced by emerging forces containing climate change, water scarcity and the energy crisis.
Development and adoption of the era are essential. Also, let’s prioritize communication and collaboration.
Importance of Communication
Communication to all applicable stakeholders, customers and residents to recognize surely the water challenges, so that they experience related to them, forced to offer a response, developing a smart society that knows the authentic feel of water.
Importance of Collaboration
Collaboration is essential for speeding up water innovation. Increase public-private partnerships to implement strong water-control models and identify long-term solutions to building resilient infrastructures.
Being inclusive creates consensus on new paradigms and round models so that change can be embraced at all levels for the achievement of sustainable development goals.
Include sustainability, environmental, and social factors as important performance indicators in the cost-benefit analysis of the most recent business models. And then, hold innovating, thinking about water and water records as a service!
Further studies supported through clever technology are wanted for embracing and enforcing principles of fairness in water, accountability, transparency, public participation and growing fine and water offerings for all, leaving nobody behind.
References
- Hanjra, M. A., & Qureshi, M. E. (2010). Global water crisis and future food security in an era of climate change. Food policy, 35(5), 365-377.
- Postel, S. L. (2000). Entering an era of water scarcity: the challenges ahead. Ecological Applications, 10(4), 941-948.
- Schoengold, K., & Zilberman, D. (2007). The economics of water, irrigation, and development. Handbook of agricultural economics, 3, 2933-2977.
- Bibri, Simon Elias, and John Krogstie. “A novel model for data-driven smart sustainable cities of the future: A strategic roadmap to transformational change in the era of big data.” Future Cities and Environment 7.1 (2021).
- Xiang, X., Li, Q., Khan, S., & Khalaf, O. I. (2021). Urban water resource management for sustainable environment planning using artificial intelligence techniques. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 86, 106515.
- https://www.adelaide.edu.au/water-research-centre/fairness
- https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/scarcity/
- https://www.concernusa.org/story/water-scarcity-solutions-that-work/
