INTRODUCTION

Water scarcity is a major global challenge for human

beings in todays modernised world.
It actually involves water stress, water shortage, and water
crisis.
Water crisis is a situation when available potable water
within a region is less than the regions demand.
Water stress is another type of situation when difficulty in
finding sufficient amount of sources of fresh water results
in depletion of available water resources.

NATURAL CAUSES OF WATER

SCARCITY
Natural reason behind this problem is uneven distribution
of fresh water on earth.
Major source of fresh water on earth are perennial rivers
generally originating from glaciers.
Only 30.5% of fresh water is available in Asian continental
region.
Nearly 60.5% of world population are resident of Asian
continental region.
Similar type of uneven distribution had become cause of
water scarcity in African continental region.

HUMAN BEING AS REASON OF WATER CRISIS

ITSELF
Major reason behind water crisis is drastic rate of
increasing population.
Naturally available resources of fresh water have been
failed to fulfill the demand of rising population.
In a current report by united nation organisation current
rate of population growth in India is 1.2%.
Beside the issue of drinking water, problem arises when
people for household purpose use fresh river water.

INDUSTRIAL REASON BEHIND WATER

CRISIS
With rising no. of industries continuously fresh water
river have become sources of garbage.
Although industrial revolution had brought a industrial
development throughout the world but in its later stage
it is directly affecting the environment adversely.
Rivers have been used as a place for discharge of waste
products of various industries.
The problem is associated with developed and
developing countries both.

TYPES OF CAUSES OF WATER CRISIS

Water scarcity can be a result of two different mechanisms
Physical water scarcity: it is a result of inadequate natural
water resources to meet the regions demand.
Economic water scarcity: it is a result of poor management
of sufficient amount of available water resources.it means
that a country has sufficient water for industry, agriculture
, drinking, household purpose but lack of means to
provide it in accessible manner.
According to united nations development programme the
latter is found to be the major cause for maximum no. of
countries facing water crisis.

WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION OF
PHYSICAL AND ECONOMICAL WATER
SCARCITY

SOME PAST AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

OF WATER SCARCITY
CALIFORNIA WATER WAR: it is a series of conflicts between Los
ANGELES and farmers of Owens Valley when rising of Los
Angeles city in late 1800 occurred. In order to fulfil its
requirement for drinking water Los Angeles started to take
water from owns valley through an aqueduct .This causes a
reason of scarcity of water in Owens valley.
Water supply in china is facing numerous challenges as its
population is growing drastically .In addition to this rapid
urbanization ,widening of gap between rich and poor people is
playing a major role in the favour of problem. Much has been
achieved in past decades but according to who and unicef still
100 million of Chinese population lack access to improve
drinking water.

IMPACTS OF WATER SCARCITY

mation says that till 2025 nearly 25 countries from African continental region will face severe wa

DATA AND FIGURES ON WATER

CRISIS

FUTURE THREATS OF WATER CRISIS

Since water crisis is a major issue
world is facing it today but
throughout the developing countries
pressure is continuously
intensifying on groundwater
resources. According to University
of Michigan in India, china and some
arid regions of united states
groundwater is being pumped out at
such a drastic rate that it cant be
replenished quickly naturally.
Global water supply is reducing
continuously. Health care and
environmental issues are rising. In
arid regions of Africa poverty
stricken families are forced to
drink water unfit for consumption.

SOME ADVERSE RESULTS ON WATER

CRISIS
Impure water is like heaven for hydro-transmitted
disease. According to UNICEF these water borne
diseases kill an estimated of 10000 to 20000 children
per day.
In Indian sub continental region a much higher fraction
of population still uses arsenic polluted water for
drinking purpose.
Meanwhile environment is also feeling effects of water
scarcity as in order to fulfil the rising demand of
drinking water enormous no. of dams and reservoirs
had been created which affects the ecosystem of a
river. Over 20% of freshwater fish species are now

GENERAL SOLUTION OF WATER

SCARCITY
There can be several ways which would be effective in preserving
and conserving water. One possible solution is the use of
desalinization technology. This system is described as filtering
salty water through membranes and removing the salt through
electrodialysis and reverse osmosis.
Another solution to the problem is to compose new multinational
treaties which tackles different aspects of water crisis. There are
currently significant no. of treatise in effect regarding water yet
most of them dont properly distribute. Watersheds of 261 major
rivers are shared by two or more countries and overlapping claims
would led to dispute. Instead these new treatise can divide the
river water according to aridity of countries on its course.

IMPLEMENT OF SOLUTION FOR WATER

CRISIS
Plainly, more than one solution is necessary in order to
reduce or solve the issue of water scarcity that the world
faces today. Any action either desalinization technology or
new treatise for even share naturally available water
resources is important and must be taken into consideration.
Now a days desalinization technique is working properly in
130 countries of north Africa and the middle east. With help
of this technique these countries are producing 6 billion
gallon of usable water per day. In United States also 1200
desalinization plants are working .

FURTHUR CHALLENGES IN WATER SCARCITY

Although desalinization technique has become much

more practical for metropolitan areas and reverse
osmosis have made significant improvement. Despite
these improvements only 2.3% of wastewater that is
generated by municipalities is currently being recycled
and reused . Globally implementing simple recycling
and filtration systems would be a relatively easy task
that would reap outstanding benefits.

CONCLUSION
Water crisis is going to be a worldwide problem in next
20 years. Till now all the researches have shown that it
is rising at a rate much faster than its solutions are
going to be implemented. Already children are dying in
large numbers due to waterborne illness. Also in indirect
manner it is destructing natural ecosystems leading to
the threat for variety of freshwater fish species. The
problem can not be controlled until a viable global
solution is implemented.

REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_scarcity
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section9group6/solutions
:UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PROJECT WATER
SCARCITY:TOMORROWS PROBLEM
http://www.futurity.org/reduce-water-scarcity-2050-7577
42
/ MACGILL UNIVERSITY-DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING