Water Scarcity

What is Water Scarcity?

Water Scarcity occurs due to both natural and human causes. It is a situation where a sufficient amount of water is not available to meet the demands within a region. As we all know water is unequally distributed over the earth surface and much of it is wasted and polluted.

Major causes of Water Scarcity

Nearly 2.2 billion people, according to recent studies, do not have access to safe drinking water. Water shortage can also result in a number of ailments ranging from food poisoning to cholera. Water shortage is often caused by two major factors: Rising freshwater usage and depletion of variable freshwater supplies. Furthermore there are two sorts of scarcity: Physical scarcity and Economic scarcity. When a natural water supply is inadequate to fulfill the demands of a specific location, a physical water shortage occurs. Some of the major causes of water scarcity are discussed below:

Overuse of water

Presently the over use of water is increasing day by day by people. In certain cases water is also over used by people, animal, land, or any other number of things. Sometimes, it is also unnecessarily used for recreational activities without any care about the effects that it may have on the world around them.

Pollution of water

Nowadays increase in water pollution is a major cause of concern, as it is a major factor behind the scarcity of water. Water gets polluted from the pollutants like oil, carcasses, chemicals, fecal matter. We all need to focus on this issue so that we can stop water from getting polluted as it is our major need.

Conflict

Sometimes conflict present between the land owners causes water scarcity which can hinder local infrastructure and consequently it may cause disruption of the water supply for many people.

Drought

Drought is a common feature in areas that are hot and dry. They are the places which do not receive enough rainfall and this creates a hindrance in the sustainability of life. Some areas are permanently dry whereas some areas suffer dryness occasionally.

Global Warming

Global warming is one of the major reasons behind water scarcity. It is a condition where average air temperature becomes warmer, water from rivers and lakes evaporates faster, which may lead to the drawing up of the water bodies. One who depends on water for their living will be the one who will suffer a lot because of water scarcity. So we have to work over all these factors to stop this.

Groundwater pollution

Unwanted use of fertilizers and other harmful substances can cause groundwater pollution, which ultimately leads to scarcity of water.

Effects of Scarcity of Water

Let us look into some of the effects of water scarcity. One of the important issues of this is pollution. For example, if there is insufficient water for sanitation, water becomes contaminated due to the entry of disease-causing bacteria. In fact, this is how 88% of all water borne infections are spread. Furthermore, water shortage may disrupt the ecosystem’s equilibrium. Food networks are damaged and biodiversity suffers as a result. Chennai, India, is just the latest city to face a severe water shortage. Here are some problems listed below which arise because of scarcity of water:

·        Lack of access to drinking water

·        Hunger

·        Disease

·        Sanitation issues

·        Poverty

·        Migration

·        Destruction of habitats

·        Loss of biodiversity

Factors to reduce water scarcity

Let us look into some of the factors that are listed below by which water scarcity can be reduced:

Save water whenever possible

We can save water in every possible way like by doing water harvesting, taking short shower, the use of washing machines, etc.

Education

By educating people about the importance of water in our daily life, we can reduce the water scarcity problem very effectively.

Recycle water

We all should adopt the water recycling process by practicing rain water harvesting and by using other techniques. As this method is really effective, it does reduce water scarcity.

Improve practices related to farming

As we all know farming and irrigation practice is the major reason behind water scarcity, so to reduce this, we all need to work on our agricultural practice .This way we can reduce the use of water while doing agriculture activities.

Less use of chemicals in farming

We all should stop using chemicals fertilizers, instead of that we all should use organic manure.

India is not a water deficit country. However due to sheer heed lessness and lack of supervision, many areas in the country face water constraints from time to time. Hence it is very essential to balance water demand with the available supply. This is the need of the hour if we strive for future economic growth and development as well as for the sustenance of human life.