{"id":45346,"date":"2015-03-07T12:00:05","date_gmt":"2015-03-07T17:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stg.savethewater.org\/?p=45346"},"modified":"2022-03-26T02:54:52","modified_gmt":"2022-03-26T06:54:52","slug":"world-water-day-issue-water-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/world-water-day-issue-water-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"World Water Day and the Issue of Water Shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Olivia Philips, Staff Writer for Save The Water\u2122 | March 5, 2015<\/p>\n
It takes approximately 33 ounces of water to create a single sheet of paper; it takes about the same amount of water to irrigate one calorie worth of food.8 While 70% of our earth is blanketed with water, only about 3% is fresh water, and of that fresh water, only about 25% is accessible4 \u2014 if you\u2019re still following, that means only .75% of the world\u2019s water is fresh and accessible for use. Additionally, even in places where water may not be physically scarce by nature, scarcity is becoming a threat as a result of overuse or over management.1 It is estimated that by 2025, 67% of the world\u2019s population may face water shortages.4 In graphic terms, that means the equivalent of nearly 15 United States populations may face water shortages.<\/p>\n
World Water Day was launched in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly as a day to celebrate water and shine a light on its importance in our world. Since the launch, every March 22 has marked and brought awareness around the world to a different water-related theme; this year, the theme is \u201cWater and Sustainable Development,\u201d1 highlighting the issue of water scarcity. Water is a resource used every single day, often times irresponsibly or absentmindedly, making this theme highly relevant for today.<\/p>\n
Water scarcity is an issue for a number of reasons\u2014some of which are more obvious than others. First and foremost, water is essential to bodily health. Lack of access to clean, fresh water, a life-sustaining resource, is a daily struggle for many throughout the world. This lack of availability drives the incidences of water-related illness and disease up, especially in impoverished communities. The human body can only survive for a few days without water.8 Facing death by dehydration, many throughout the world are forced to drink from unclean water sources, where pathogens and bacteria thrive, and the likelihood of developing diseases such as dysentery and cholera increases. For some, storing water within the home seems like a practical option in order to reduce travel time and fatigue, but storing water, even if clean, also creates health risks, as the stagnant water creates an environment where mosquitos carrying malaria or other diseases can breed.5 Lack of clean water is more than an unfortunate circumstance\u2014for many, it\u2019s a death sentence.<\/p>\n
Even for those in communities where access to clean drinking water is not an issue, effective water management is relevant. Every processed item demands water for the manufacturing cycle, from ground beef to the plastic it\u2019s packaged in, and demand for water will only increase in the coming years as the global population rises,6 especially in developing countries. Currently, maximized production reigns supreme over water efficiency in many of the industries that use water most heavily. Water shortages could lead to higher prices for goods and services, or it could eliminate some products altogether. Another issue created by many industrial centers is the water output created. Often, dirty, used water from factories and mills merges with clean water in rivers, bays, and other natural bodies, leading to cross contamination of once clean water.8 In some communities where water is scarce, this dirty wastewater\u2014and other types of wastewater\u2014 is used to irrigate crops, which are then shipped to consumers that are often unaware of this fact.5<\/p>\n
Water scarcity creates political issues, as well. By 2050, the global population is estimated to rise to anywhere from 8 to 9 billion.6 In areas that lack major access to natural bodies of fresh water, effective water management will continue to be an issue as the population rises and water becomes less accessible. Many communities share sources of water with neighboring peoples, and the increasing struggle over water and its management creates tensions or deepens existing culture strife, such as in sub-Saharan Africa.3 Even in regions with abundant natural water sources, such as areas along the Colorado river,1 water management policies that do not emphasize responsible management are leading to overuse that is costly and difficult to correct.<\/p>\n
While any of these types of issues alone are serious, they become a bigger problem when combined. When government policies mismanage how water is distributed, people, usually women or children8, often resort to traveling long distances to acquire fresh water, which then creates difficulty for retaining jobs or receiving an education. Without jobs or educations to make a living out of, many cannot afford high prices of goods created by industries that use water\u2014which, because of scarcity, only rise higher as more water is used irresponsibly\u2014 contributing to the cycle of poverty in many regions of the world.6<\/p>\n