Water Scarcity
- Vardui Chtrkyan
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By: Syuzanna Zakaryan
Water covers about 70% of Earth’s surface, yet it is said that the world is running out of water. This impacts many individuals, especially marginalized groups such as children in low-income countries around the world who lack access to clean and drinkable water. Due to the water crisis, many have been exposed to diseases, such as typhoid fever, cholera, and other water-borne illnesses (Essential Need, n.d.). Amongst these are children who are dying from diarrheal diseases each year. Water scarcity also impacts agriculture, as there is not enough water to cultivate plants, which results in economic decline (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). Water scarcity is a growing global crisis caused by droughts and water pollution, and if not addressed, it can eventually lead to widespread health issues and economic decline.
One major cause of water scarcity is droughts, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. While draughts are a natural occurrence, due to high occurrence and extreme heat, many rivers are drying up globally. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers that flow into the Persian Gulf are a great epitome of Iraq’s water crisis. Due to the recent decline of rivers, communities have turned to groundwater to compensate for the lack of surface water in rivers (UNESCO, n.d.). While in countries such as China, rising temperatures have reduced glacial meltwater that feeds major rivers like the Yangtze, decreasing water flow and intensifying water shortages (Lai, 2024).
Additionally, another significant contributor to water scarcity is water pollution. Contaminants from human activities, including agricultural runoff, untreated sewage, and industrial waste, enter rivers, lakes, and even underground aquifers, which makes water unsafe for drinking and cooking (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). In some cases, harmful bacteria from untreated human waste can also cause immediate health problems, while toxic chemicals from industrial or agricultural sources may accumulate in the environment and food chain over time, which can create long-term risks (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). According to Lai, contaminated water already causes more deaths each year than war and other forms of violence combined, emphasizing how human activity threatens freshwater resources (Lai, 2024). With less than 1% of the Earth’s water accessible for human use, pollution worsens the crisis of water scarcity, especially for vulnerable communities (Lai, 2024).
Thus, water scarcity is a critical challenge that requires urgent action globally. According to the United Nations and UN-Water, water must be treated as a limited resource, and strategies such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) can help balance the needs of individuals, agriculture, and the environment (UN-Water, nd). Using technologies developed by nonprofits such as The Ocean Cleanup, an organization that removes plastic waste from rivers before it reaches the ocean, is essential to protecting freshwater supplies. For instance, communities in Ethiopia often lack access to clean drinking water due to polluted rivers, which leads to the spread of water-borne diseases like cholera and diarrhea, which later cause serious health and economic consequences (The Water Project, n.d.).
Works Cited
Advocacy note: Water scarcity and climate risks in Iraq. UNESCO.org. (n.d.). https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/advocacy-note-water-scarcity-and-climate-risks-iraq
Lai, O. (2024, March 4). Water shortage: causes and effects. Earth.Org. https://earth.org/causes-and-effects-of-water-shortage/
Water scarcity: Causes, impacts, and solutions | World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). https://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/freshwater/water-scarcity/
Water in crisis - spotlight Ethiopia. The Water Project. (n.d.). https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-ethiopia
Water scarcity: UN-water. UN. (n.d.). https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-scarcity
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