Context

• A recent UN report revealed that in the near future an increase in water demand will be generated not by an increasing population, but by economic growth.

Water Scarcity

• Water scarcity is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. 
• There are two types of water scarcity namely physical and economic water scarcity.
• Physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet all demands, including that needed for ecosystems to function. Arid areas for example Central Asia, West Asia, and North Africa often experience physical water scarcity.
• Economic water scarcity on the other hand, is the result of lack of investment in infrastructure or technology to draw water from rivers, aquifers, or other water sources. It also results from weak human capacity to meet water demand. Much of Sub-Saharan Africa experiences economic water scarcity.

Causes for Water Scarcity

• The main drivers of the increase in global water demand are the increasing world population, rise in living conditions, changing diets (to more animal products),and expansion of irrigated agriculture.
• Climate change (including droughts or floods), deforestation, water pollution and wasteful use of water can also cause insufficient water supply.

Drought and water scarcity

• • A drought Is defined as a “deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time, usually a season or more resulting in water shortage. 
  • The failure of seasonal rain, long dry spells and gradual drying up of moisture in land with effects on crops are usual stages that lead to a drought emergency.

• In recent times Drought hazards have increased around the world leading to water shortages and scarcity.

Findings of the report

• • The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024: Water for prosperity and peace” says that every second person on the planet experiences severe water scarcity.
  • Over the last two decades, from 2002 to 2021, droughts affected over 1.4 billion people and killed more than 21,000.

• With more than 733 million people currently living in areas of high or critical water stress and a projected 30% increase in global water demand by 2050 compared to 2010.

Implications of Water Scarcity

• It is estimated that a third of the world’s largest aquifer systems are in distress. In addition, the redirection, overuse, and pollution of rivers and lakes for irrigation, industry, and municipal uses can result in significant environmental harm and the collapse of ecosystems.
• Areas with chronic water scarcity are particularly susceptible to water crises, where water supplies dwindle to critical levels. In 2018, residents of Cape Town, South Africa, were faced with the possibility of “Day Zero,” the day on which municipal taps would run dry, the first potential water crisis of any major city.
• Chronic water scarcity can culminate in forced migration and domestic or regional conflicts, especially in geopolitically fragile areas.

Way Forward

• Addressing water scarcity requires a multidisciplinary approach incorporating policy formulation, research and development and investments in technologies.
• Water resources must be managed with the goal of equitably maximizing economic and social welfare without compromising ecosystem functioning. This ideal is sometimes referred to as the “triple bottom line”: economics, environment, and equity.