WATER AND CHANGE
Water scarcity is… “the demand for water from all sectors (agriculture, cities, environment
etc...) is greater than the available resources” according to FAOWater
1/3 of the world population supposedly suffers from water scarcity according to FAO researchers but
predicted to be 2/3 by 2025 (FAOWater).
Fixed amount of water on our planet, but the amount we can use are very low (FAOWater):
Locating water scarcity
The map above represents water scarcity divided between the two main types: physical and
economic. If not, water scarcity is shown to be either absent or slowly “approaching physical water
scarcity”. As a first impression, this map seems to reveal that water scarcity affects approximately 50
percent of the world. Based on the above information, we can identify the main water scarcity to
occur in a large majority of Africa, Asia and some in Central America.
In Africa for instance, the main causes of water scarcity are economic which could imply a lack of
governmental investment in infrastructure meaning that many of the rapid increasing population of
Africa are forced to use water unsustainably. On the other hand, it is interesting to note that both
poles of the continent are suffering from physical water scarcity or are on the point of doing so as
South Africa and Madagascar. At approximately the same latitude, Australia suffers from similar
water issues. Looking at America’s situation facing water scarcity, physical causes are the main
reason with only from Panama to Guatemala suffering of economic water scarcity. Similarly, Asia’s
countries are mainly affected by physical rather than economic water scarcity. To conclude, we can
state that physical water scarcity is the main reason of today’s global endangered water supplies.
Economic and Physical water scarcity
Economic water scarcity: “caused by a lack of investment in water or insufficient capacity to satisfy
the demand of water in areas where the population does not have the necessary monetary means to
utilise an adequate source of water” (Wikimedia Foundation)
Lack of infrastructure can reinforce this issue, pushing people to fetch their water from rivers or lakes
as seen in many regions of Africa.
(The geographer online- Youtube video)
Physical water scarcity: term used to describe a situation where there is a lack of water, making it
hard to meet all people’s but also ecosystem’s standards that occurs mainly in arid regions. This can
also apply when resources are over-committed in areas with abundant water (eg: for irrigation).
(Wikimedia Foundation)
Environmental degradation and reduced groundwater level can reinforce this issue.
(The geographer online- Youtube video)
Physical causes of water scarcity
1. Mountain ranges = leeward side gets lower rainfall = deserts = low water supply
2. Natural replacement of groundwater by sea water in coastal region= saltier water= less
useable/ drinkable
3. Decreased rainfall in certain areas = lower groundwater level= harder for people to access it
4. High pressure regions= arid regions with deserts= water scarcity
5. El Nino event causes drought in certain regions of the world= momentary water scarcity
6. Desertification= reduction of vegetation cover = increased run off + less infiltration + siltation
leading to a decreased storage capacity of dams and lakes.
Human causes of water scarcity
1. Population growth
High population growth rates lead to:
a) industrialization + economic development
b) increased demand of food, cloths, shelter
= increased pressure on water supply
Predictions estimate an increase of 3 billion people in 50 to 75 years which will add pressure on the
already present shortage.
2. Agriculture ( Economic water scarcity)
 “uses 70% of the world’s accessible freshwater, but some 60% of this is wasted”
(prezi.com) due to Poor land management+ bad farming methods+ growing of “thirsty crop”
 Fertilizers+ pesticides= water pollution = affects the accessibility
Case study: China




Largest consumer of nitrogen fertilizers= pollutes most of its rivers, lakes and reservoirs
Poor treatment of waste water from industries and domestics
1995: only 77% treated= not meet WHO standards
Bad water distribution: North China plain has 40% population but 7.6% water sources of
the country
3. Pollution (Economic water scarcity)

Sources: industries’ run off, houses, agriculture (pesticides, fertilizers)


Some leaches into groundwater
Impacts of pollution from industries, houses and agriculture are reduced in times of good
water supplies in lakes and rivers (more dilution) whilst in time of shortage, the areas
become vulnerable to pollution = water supplies to become undrinkable/ useless.
Direct impacts (bacteria) make water undrinkable VS. Indirect impacts (toxic substances) are
found after years of regeneration

Case study: The chao phraya river, Thailand (Greenpeace report)




Most important river system in Thailand with 13 million people living in the basin
Rich wildlife (300 fish species)
Vital to the economy (30 000 industrial facilities including textile, rubber, food production)
but also main cause of river pollution (toxic chemicals discharged from industries)
Possible solutions: set up a list of priority substances + more transparency in data
4. Climat change
 Increased release of CO2 and greenhouse gases in atmosphere by humans= changing
meteorological patterns
 Melting of glaciers affect « freshwater supplies to those downstream communities » (World
Wildlife Fund)
Methods to deal with the problem
1. Plugging the leaks

Leakage have caused US to loose over 7 billion gallons of treated drinking water

Sensors and softwares are used to locate the leaks on a regular basis.

Flexible liners are being used= reduce time-consuming repairs
2. Recycling
In order to extent the present water supply a solution is to recycle our used waters instead of
polluting our rivers and lakes with it. This can then be used for:



Irrigation
Industrial uses
Aquifers
At present, only 2.3% of the wastewater is being recycled…
Case study New York: Membrane bioreactors can be used to do so such as in a large apartment
building in NY which then uses it for toilet flushing and cooling towers for the air-conditioning
system= “reduces the building's freshwater draw from the city by more than 75%” (The wall
street journal.com)
3. Desalination

Uses lots of energy + pricy

“About 130 nations in North Africa and the Middle East” produce 6billion of usable water/
day (Water Scarcity, tomorrow’s problem: solution)

US= 1,200 desalinating plants

Reversed osmosis is a potential alternative
4. Domestic water use improvements, such as:

Not throwing oil down the drain

Close tap when not used

Avoid buying unnecessary goods that need water for production
5. Improve the way water resources are governed and the way it is being managed
Case study: Kimana Wetlands, South Kenya (The geographer online- Youtube video)
 Wetlands are the main source of conflict due to water scarcity and water location between
different user groups including farmers
 Killi Mangaro ice is at present the main water source for the area meaning that climate
change which is slowly reducing the amount of ice on the mountain will have significant
impacts on the water supply
 Farming means:
a) less water availability for locals and Massaî for domestic purpose, irrigation and
livestock’s
b) Pollution downstream from chemicals= increased poverty + conflict
 Solution: Wetland International project aims to increase the water resource availability and
equal access by developing a management system to balance wetland and water sources
between different users with different purposes
6. Sustainable farming

Not use lots of water-using crops if the water levels cannot be replaced by rainfall for
example regularly

Reuse/ recycle

Avoid fertilizer + pesticide use if possible

Fallow period to store precipitation
Bibliography
Citation :( Prezi.com)
"Environmental and Human Factors Affecting Physical Water Scarcity and Economic Water
Scarcity." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://prezi.com/qkuccuj8rchc/environmentaland-human-factors-affecting-physical-water-scarcity-and-economic-water-scarcity/>.
Citation: (Greenpeace report)
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/toxics/Water%202011/
Hidden%20Consequences%20SECTION01.pdf
Citation: (World Wildlife Fund)
WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
<http://worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity>.
Citation: (Wikimedia Foundation)
"Economic Water Scarcity." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_water_scarcity>.
Citation: (Wikimedia Foundation)
"Physical Water Scarcity." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 May 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_water_scarcity>.
Citation: (Water Scarcity, tomorrow’s problem: solution)
"Water Scarcity: Tomorrow's Problem: Solutions." Water Scarcity: Tomorrow's Problem: Solutions.
N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section9group6/solutions>.
Ciatation: (The wall street journal)
"Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com." Business News & Financial
News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
<http://europe.wsj.com/home-page>.
Citation: (The geographer online- Youtube video)
"Patterns in Environmental Quality and Sustainability - TheGeographeronline." Patterns in
Environmental Quality and Sustainability - TheGeographeronline. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.