Water scarcity

Water scarcity

Although 70% of the world is covered by water, only 3% of this is fit for human consumption. Water scarcity is a situation where there is little or no water. This can be caused by physical water scarcity where naturally water is lacking in a region like deserts or from poor usage of the available water example not recycling or investing in water harvesting. Other factors that may contribute to water shortage include pollution, global warming, natural disasters, government control and so forth.

Availability of water determines how habitable the area is both for human and animals. We all need water to live so do plants and animals. Areas that lack clean drinking water are prone to outbreaks of disease which lead to death and also poor health. Unhealthy people cannot be productive economically which has a direct effect on the economic growth of a region. When the community either spends most of its time in search of water or in hospitals unwell they don’t have time to make money. Beyond the physical diseases like cholera and diarrhea caused by contaminated water, studies have linked poor hygiene to anxiety, low self-esteem and depression.

Migration of people in search of ideal areas to settle can be due to water scarcity. People will overcrowd areas that have readily available water which leads to creation of slums. Conflict also arise in such situations us groups of people want to monopolize the available resource. Over relying on one water resource leads to its depletion or pollution if there are no proper infrastructure to manage the water source. Without control an area that once had water in abundance can be depleted leading to migration in another area and the cycle continues.

Society needs to be educated on how to conserve water but this can only happen if the government on its part invests on infrastructure that manages this valuable resource according to the need and demands of a region.