Feature Photo Credit: United Nations
Have you heard of World Water Day? This celebratory day, observed on 22nd March every year, since 1993, is a United Nations event highlighting the significance of freshwater resources. The day focuses on celebrating water and shedding light on the 2.2 billion individuals lacking access to safe water, urging action to address the global water crisis.
Whether it’s a drink from a tap, a toilet that works, or a place to wash our hands, having water is a basic necessity that many of us take for granted. But in many parts of the world, women and children spend more than four hours walking for water each day, and more than 840,000 people die each year from diseases contracted from unsafe water.
Each year, UN-Water designates a theme for World Water Day, with the 2024 theme being “Leveraging Water for Peace.” This theme underscores water’s pivotal role in fostering peace, prosperity, and conflict prevention, as water can either foster peace or ignite conflicts due to scarcity, pollution, or unequal access. Currently, the world is facing water insecurity. And while some countries might feel these effects less than others, this situation is about all of us.
What Is Water Insecurity?
About 3 billion people rely on water crossing national borders to have access to safe water daily, yet only 24 countries have comprehensive cooperation agreements for shared water resources.
When we hear about water insecurity, the concept usually refers to the insufficiency of safe and adequate water for a healthy and productive life. With escalating climate change impacts and growing populations, there is an urgent call for unity in protecting and conserving this vital resource. Public health, food and energy systems, economic productivity, and environmental sustainability all hinge on a well-managed water cycle. So, it’s essential we can conserve and preserve this natural resource as much as possible.
Despite progress throughout the last few decades, 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, with millions relying on surface water. Nearly half the global population faces severe water scarcity during some parts of the year. These stats include countries that are so close to home, you wouldn’t even think of it, such as some parts of Italy, Spain and North Africa.
There are different ways to define and measure different types of water access, and this goes for the whole world.
- Water Stress refers to access to clean water falling below 1700m³ per person per year.
- Water Scarcity indicates access to clean water below 1000m³ per person per year.
- Absolute Water Scarcity denotes access to clean water below 500m³ per person per year.
Campaign animation from 2023, with the theme “Accelerating Change” to solve the water and sanitation crisis. Dysfunction throughout the water cycle is undermining progress on all major global issues, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, disasters to peace.
Human Causes
Globally, water insecurity is currently escalating due to population growth, which leads to heightened requirements for safe water sources.
Furthermore, this insecurity is also due to the surge in industrial and agricultural activities which demand more water, particularly in agriculture where significant amounts are often wasted, as well as over-abstraction from natural resources. Water insecurity stems from a discrepancy between supply and demand, with demand surpassing supply. The situation is exacerbated by climate change, of course. Since fresh water is limited, especially in some parts of the world, it is crucial to employ efficient methods to utilise water resources effectively and mitigate the risks of water insecurity.
Deep down, water insecurity is rooted in the imbalance between supply and demand, with demand exceeding supply.
Population and demand
The global increase in population has heightened the water demand. With the growth of the middle class and improved living standards in many parts of the world, water consumption patterns have been impacted. By 2050, the world’s population is projected to reach 9.7 billion. The shift of half the global population to urban areas due to rising urbanisation exerts pressure on local resources to supply fresh water, especially in areas prone to drought.
Industrialisation and agriculture
Current water usage in crop production affects river flow rates, depletes aquifers, and harms wildlife habitats. Agricultural activities also lead to water pollution from pesticides and fertilisers. Industrial processes, particularly those by Transnational Corporations (TNCs), have faced criticism for their environmental impacts. For instance, Coca-Cola had to close a $16 million factory in India due to excessive water usage that affected the local community’s water access.
Over-abstraction
Water accumulates in aquifers through permeable rocks and can be extracted for human use via infrastructure like wells. However, excessive extraction can deplete the water supply, causing water deficits, especially when extraction surpasses replenishment rates.
Infrastructure
Adequate infrastructure for water storage and distribution is crucial for water supply. Inadequate or substandard infrastructure can compromise water quality and lead to increased pollution levels.
Politics
In some countries, water management may be influenced by corrupt or authoritarian governments, restricting access to water for the population. Water can also be used as a tool for population control in certain regions, just like it’s happening now in Palestine.
Physical Causes
The impact of climate change exacerbates the water insecurity situation. As we know, water-related disasters have been prominent over the last five decades, contributing to 70% of deaths related to natural disasters. Climatic occurrences like floods and droughts directly affect freshwater availability, and natural disasters such as tsunamis can disrupt water security, worsening the effects of climate change.
It’s not just because of climate change that our waterways are polluted though. This can also happen naturally through saltwater intrusion. This phenomenon, common in coastal areas, happens when ocean water pollutes freshwater reservoirs on land, a situation that is natural but will only worsen with rising sea levels due to climate change.
World Water Day 2024 focuses on “Water for Peace,” emphasising how collaboration on water issues can lead to positive outcomes like harmony, prosperity, and resilience all over the world. Water is not just a resource; it’s a human right essential to all aspects of life.
Effects of Water Insecurity
Ensuring access to abundant, safe, and clean water sources is crucial for the well-being of the global population. There are a lot of almost catastrophic effects that water insecurity, water stress, and water scarcity can have on the population, and we’ve put together a list of the worst that could happen when fresh water is scarce.
Poverty
Water access is directly linked to development levels, particularly human development. Access to clean water plays a pivotal role in breaking the cycle of poverty; without clean water, individuals are more susceptible to illnesses, hindering their ability to work. This, in turn, impacts income and poverty rates.
Health and Education
Contaminated water can harbour diseases leading to severe illnesses or fatalities, such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis, thus adversely affecting the health of a community.
Water insecurity also impacts education. Children often spend significant time fetching water or dealing with waterborne illnesses instead of attending school, this is even more affecting when it comes to girls who are just starting their menstruation cycle. This directly influences human development levels. If children are not well educated and unhealthy, the civilised development of their generation is very unlikely to happen.
Industry and Agriculture
Water insecurity can greatly impact agricultural activities too. Inadequate water resources (and clean water) hinder proper crop maintenance. Livestock farming can also suffer. This can substantially affect food production rates. Decreased food production subsequently affects food access, prices, and global trade, which, in turn, influences development levels due to reduced agricultural output.
Water Conflict
Water scarcity can lead to conflicts between nations. Disputes may arise over access to or ownership of water sources. The construction of infrastructure, like dams, can also spark conflicts. Population dissatisfaction with water regulations or mismanagement of water resources in corrupt nations can also lead to conflict.
For instance, the Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan border conflict in 2008 was due to a dam constructed in Kyrgyzstan that obstructed water supply to neighbouring Tajikistan. Tajikistan residents attempted to damage the dam, prompting Kyrgyzstan border forces to intervene. Unfortunately, conflicts in such regions are expected to escalate as water resource pressure intensifies.
Migration
Deteriorating water access or its repercussions on food availability, prices, and agricultural challenges may drive individuals to seek better water security elsewhere. With population migrating elsewhere for a better livelihood, comes the overpopulation or underpopulation of nations, one of the main causes when it comes to water scarcity.
Reducing Water Insecurity
With water insecurity being such a large issue around the world, solutions are needed to provide better water security globally. Of course, we don’t have all the answers. But World Water Day aims to spread the word about those answers we do have so that hopefully these solutions can be implemented and fresh water can stay a natural resource worldwide. There are also many NGO’s working locally at grassroots level, establishing direct connections with communities, and others such as Water Aid who are working globally to make clean water, decent toilets available to everyone, everywhere.
Related – A Glimpse into the World of NGO’s on World Non-Governmental Organisation Day
Political Solutions
The implementation of laws and guidelines, such as the Helsinki Rules, can help mitigate water conflicts and address water resource issues, as they provide guidelines for the usage of international drainage basin waters. High water prices in some countries, like Denmark, encourage reduced domestic water consumption, contributing to water conservation globally.
Environmental Solutions
Agriculture significantly impacts water scarcity worldwide, but with the implementation of alternative irrigation methods, like drip irrigation that offers more precise water delivery to plants, we could reduce water waste and evaporation rates.
Another effective solution to combat water insecurity is rainwater storage and water recycling initiatives, especially in arid regions. Plus, the adoption of agricultural practices that minimise pesticide use, such as conservation buffers and crop rotation, can help decrease water pollution levels.
Infrastructure Solutions
Upgrading water infrastructure, including sanitation systems and piping, is essential for disease prevention and ensuring access to clean water. For example, solar-powered desalination plants offer a cost-effective solution to water desalination. While dams provide freshwater storage, water transfer schemes could enable equal water distribution in regions with water surplus and deficit.
This World Water Day theme being around “Water & Peace” aims to bring our attention to just that. Amid challenges like climate change, migration, and political turmoil, prioritising water cooperation on water management can help meet everyone’s needs and promote global stability. Uniting around fair and sustainable water usage can promote harmony within and between communities, from international conventions to local initiatives. You can always download the United Nations resources around water and learn more on the topic here.
