Water crisis 5586013 226065845 2008-07-16T17:56:20Z Harryboyles 754264 Fixing [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links|links to disambiguation pages]] using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] [[Image:Madagascar highland plateau.jpg|thumb|230px|[[Deforestation]] of the [[Madagascar]] Highland Plateau has led to extensive [[siltation]] and unstable flows of western [[river]]s.]] '''Water Crisis''' is a term that refers to the status of the world’s [[water resources]] relative to human demand. The term has been applied to the worldwide water situation by the [[United Nations]] and other world organizations.<ref>[http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17551&Cr=&Cr1 United Nations statement on water crisis]</ref><ref>[http://www.nrdc.org/international/summit/summit3.asp UN World Summit on Sustainable Development addresses the water crisis]</ref> The major aspects of the water crisis are overall scarcity of [[potable water|usable water]]<ref>[http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=671&section=14 Freshwater: lifeblood of the planet]</ref> and [[water pollution]]. The [[Earth]] has a finite supply of [[fresh water]], stored in [[aquifer]]s, [[surface water]]s and the [[atmosphere]]. Sometimes [[ocean]]s are mistaken for available water, but the amount of energy needed to convert [[saline water]] to [[potable water]] is prohibitive today, explaining why only a very small fraction of the world's water supply derives from desalination.<ref>''World Energy Outlook 2005: Middle East and North Africa Insights'', International Energy Agency, Paris (2005)</ref> There are several principal manifestations of the water crisis. * Inadequate access to safe [[drinking water]] for about 1.1 billion people * [[Groundwater]] overdrafting leading to diminished [[agriculture|agricultural]] yields<ref>[http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/WORMKA/ Water is Life - Groundwater drawdown]</ref> * Overuse and [[pollution]] of water resources harming [[biodiversity]] * Regional conflicts over scarce water resources sometimes resulting in [[war]]fare [[Waterborne diseases]] and the absence of sanitary [[Domestic water system|domestic water]] are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. For children under age five, waterborne diseases are the leading cause of death. At any given time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from waterborne diseases.<ref>[[WaterPartners International]]: [http://water.org/WaterCrisis Learn about the Water Crisis]</ref> According to the [[World Bank]], 88 percent of all diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/17/eco.about.water/ All About: Water and Health], CNN, [[December 18]], [[2007]]</ref> Historically the manifestations of the water crisis have been less pronounced, but 20th century levels of [[overpopulation|human overpopulation]] have revealed the limited quantity of fresh water. [[Drought]] dramatizes the underlying tenuous balance of safe water supply, but it is the imprudent actions of humans that have rendered the human population vulnerable to the devastation of major droughts. ==Health impacts of the water crisis== [[Image:Wonga wetlands sewage plant.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Sewage treatment plant whose [[effluent]] is used to create the [[Wonga Wetlands]], [[Australia]].]] Not only are there 1.1 billion without adequate [[drinking water]], but the [[United Nations]] acknowledges 2.6 billion people are without adequate water for [[sanitation]] (e.g. wastewater disposal). The issues are coupled, since, without water for [[sewage disposal]], cross-contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage is the chief adverse outcome of inadequate [[safe water]] supply. Consequently, [[disease]] and significant deaths arise from people using contaminated [[water supply|water supplies]]; these effects are particularly pronounced for children in [[underdeveloped countries]], where 3900 children per day die of [[diarrhea]] alone<ref>[http://www.nrdc.org/international/summit/summit3.asp NRDC: The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development - Safe Water and Sanitation for the Developing World<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. While these deaths are generally considered preventable, the situation is considerably more complex, since the Earth is beyond its [[carrying capacity]] with respect to available fresh water<ref>Lester R. Brown, ''Plan B 2.0'', W.W. Norton & Co, New York (2006) ISBN 0-393-32831-7</ref>. Often [[technology]] is advanced as a panacea, but the costs of technology presently exclude a number of countries from availing themselves of these solutions. If lesser developed countries acquire more wealth, partial mitigation will occur, but sustainable solutions must involve each region in balancing population to water resource and in managing water resources more optimally. In any case the finite nature of the water resource must be acknowledged if the world is to achieve a better balance. ==Damage to biodiversity== [[Image:croceum.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander]], a species [[endangered species|endangered]] by freshwater habitat reduction by man.]] [[Vegetation]] and [[wildlife]] are fundamentally dependent upon adequate freshwater resources. [[Marsh]]es, [[bog]]s and [[riparian zone]]s are more obviously dependent upon sustainable water supply, but forests and other upland ecosystems are equally at risk of significant productivity changes as water availability is diminished. In the case of wetlands, considerable area has been simply taken from wildlife use to feed and house the expanding human population. But other areas have suffered reduced productivity from gradual diminishing of freshwater inflow, as upstream sources are diverted for human use. In seven states of the U.S. over 80 percent of all historic [[wetland]]s were filled<ref>William J. Mitsch, James G. Gosselink ''Wetlands'', </ref> by the 1980s, when Congress acted to create a “no net loss” of wetlands. In [[Europe]] extensive loss of wetlands has also occurred with resulting loss of biodiversity. For example many bogs in [[Scotland]] have been drained or developed through human population expansion. One example is the [[Portlethen Moss]] in [[Aberdeenshire]], that has been over half lost, and a number of [[species]] which inhabited this moss are no longer present such as the [[Great Crested Newt]]. On [[Madagascar]]’s central highland plateau, a massive transformation occurred that eliminated virtually all the heavily forested vegetation in the period 1970 to 2000. The [[slash and burn]] agriculture eliminated about ten percent of the total country’s native biomass and converted it to a barren wasteland. These effects were from [[overpopulation]] and the necessity to feed poor indigenous peoples, but the adverse effects included widspread gully erosion that in turn produced heavily silted rivers that “run red” decades after the [[deforestation]]. This eliminated a large amount of usable fresh water and also destroyed much of the riverine ecosystems of several large west-flowing rivers. Several [[fish]] species have been driven to the edge of extinction and some [[coral reef]] formations in the [[Indian Ocean]] are effectively lost. ==Water politics== {{Main|Water politics}} There are approximately 260 different river systems worldwide, where conflicts exist crossing national boundaries. While [[Helsinki Rules]] help to interpret intrinsic water rights among countries, there are some conflicts so bitter or so related to basic survival that strife and even warfare are inevitable. In many cases water use disputes are merely an added dimension to underlying border tensions founded on other bases. The [[Tigris River|Tigris]]-[[Euphrates River]] System is one example where differing national interests and withdrawal rights have been in conflict. The countries of [[Iran]], [[Iraq]] and [[Syria]] each present valid claims of certain water use, but the total demands on the riverine system surpass the physical constraints of water availability.<ref>Nurit Klio, ''Water Resources and Conflict in the [[Middle East]]'', Routledge, [[Oxfordshire]], [[England]] (2001)</ref> As early as 1974 Iraq massed troops on the Syrian border and threatened to destroy [[Syria]]’s [[al-Thawra]] dam on the Euphrates.<ref>''Contested Environments''. edited by Nick Bingham, Andrew Blowers, Chris Belshaw, John Wiley and sons, [[Chichester]], [[UK]] (2003)</ref> In 1992 [[Hungary]] and [[Czechoslovakia]] took a dispute over [[Danube River]] water diversions and dam construction to the [[International Court of Justice]]. This case represents a minority of disputes where logic and jurisprudence may be the path of dispute resolution. Other conflicts involving [[North Korea|North]] and [[South Korea]], [[Israel]] and [[Palestine]], [[Egypt]] and [[Ethiopia]], may prove more difficult tests of negotiation. ==Overview of regions suffering crisis impacts== There are many other countries of the world that are severely impacted with regard to [[human]] [[health]] and inadequate drinking water. The following is a partial list of some of the countries with significant populations (numerical population of affected population listed) whose only consumption is of contaminated water [http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/about/sgreport-pdf/03_SafeDrinkingWater_D7341Insert_English.pdf]: *[[Sudan]] 12.3 million *[[Iran]] 5.6 million *[[Venezuela]] 5.0 million *[[Syria]] 3.8 million *[[Zimbabwe]] 2.7 million *[[Tunisia]] 2.1 million *[[Cuba]] 1.2 million According to the [[California Department of Water Resources]], if more supplies aren’t found by 2020, the region will face a shortfall nearly as great as the amount consumed today. [[Los Angeles]] is a coastal desert able to support at most 1 million people on its own water; the Los Angeles basin now is the core of a [[megacity]] that spans {{convert|220|mi|km|-1}} from [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] to the [[Mexican border]]. The region’s population is expected to reach 22 million by 2020. The population of California continues to grow by more than a half million a year and is expected to reach 48 million in 2030. But water shortage is likely to surface well before then.<ref>[http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecenters19af U.S. Water Supply]</ref> By far the largest part of [[Australia]] is [[Deserts of Australia|desert]] or semi-arid lands commonly known as the [[outback]]. In June 2008 it became known that an expert panel had warned of long term, maybe irreversible, severe ecological damage for the whole [[Murray-Darling basin]] if it does not receive sufficient water by October.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7460492.stm Australian rivers 'face disaster'], BBC News</ref> [[Water restrictions in Australia|Water restrictions]] are currently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages resulting from [[Drought in Australia|drought]]. The [[Australian of the year]] 2007, environmentalist [[Tim Flannery]], predicted that unless it made drastic changes, [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] in [[Western Australia]] could become the world’s first ghost [[metropolis]], an abandoned city with no more water to sustain its population.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6620919.stm Metropolis strives to meet its thirst], BBC News</ref> Water deficits, which are already spurring heavy [[grain]] imports in numerous smaller countries, may soon do the same in larger countries, such as [[China]] and [[India]].<ref>[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HG21Df01.html India grows a grain crisis]</ref> The water tables are falling in scores of countries (including Northern China, the US, and India) due to widespread overpumping using powerful diesel and electric pumps. Other countries affected include [[Pakistan]], [[Iran]], and [[Mexico]]. This will eventually lead to water scarcity and cutbacks in grain harvest. Even with the overpumping of its [[aquifers]], China is developing a [[grain]] deficit. When this happens, it will almost certainly drive grain prices upward. Most of the 3 billion people projected to be added worldwide by mid-century will be born in countries already experiencing water shortages. Unless [[population growth]] can be slowed quickly by investing heavily in female [[literacy]] and [[family planning]] services, there may not be a non-violent & humane solution to the emerging world [[water shortage]].<ref>[http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/Seg/PB2ch03_ss6.htm Water Scarcity Crossing National Borders]</ref><ref>[http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/zarticles/080902_water_shortages.htm Water Shortages May Cause Food Shortages]</ref><ref>[http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20070819122845423 Yemen's Capital Facing Water Shortage Due to Rapid Increase in Population]</ref> After [[China]] and [[India]], there is a second tier of smaller countries with large water deficits — [[Algeria]], [[Egypt]], [[Iran]], [[Mexico]], and [[Pakistan]]. Four of these already import a large share of their grain. Only Pakistan remains self-sufficient. But with a population expanding by 4 million a year, it will also likely soon turn to the world market for grain.<ref>[http://www.i-sis.org.uk/TFBE.php The Food Bubble Economy]</ref> According to a UN climate report, the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] glaciers that are the sources of [[Asia]]'s biggest rivers - [[Ganges]], [[Indus]], [[Brahmaputra]], [[Yangtze]], [[Mekong]], [[Salween]] and [[Yellow]] - could disappear by 2035 as temperatures rise.<ref>[http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/42387/story.htm Vanishing Himalayan Glaciers Threaten a Billion]</ref> Approximately 2.4 billion people live in the [[drainage basin]] of the Himalayan rivers.<ref>[http://www.peopleandplanet.net/pdoc.php?id=3024 Big melt threatens millions, says UN]</ref> [[India]], [[China]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Nepal]] and [[Myanmar]] could experience floods followed by [[droughts]] in coming decades. In [[India]] alone, the Ganges provides water for drinking and farming for more than 500 million people.<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jul/24indus.htm Ganges, Indus may not survive: climatologists]</ref><ref>[http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90781/90879/6222327.html Glaciers melting at alarming speed]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3998967.stm Himalaya glaciers melt unnoticed]</ref> ==Outlook== [[Image:Madagascar well.jpg|thumb|220px|Wind and solar power such as this installation in a [[village]] in northwest [[Madagascar]] can make a difference in safe water supply.]] Year 2025 forecasts state that two thirds of the [[world population]] will be without safe drinking water and basic sanitation services. Construction of [[wastewater treatment]] plants and reduction of groundwater overdrafting appear to be obvious solutions to the worldwide problem; however, a deeper look reveals more fundamental issues in play. Wastewater treatment is highly [[capital intensive]], restricting access to this technology in some regions; furthermore the rapid increase in population of many countries makes this a race that is difficult to win. As if those factors are not daunting enough, one must consider the enormous costs and skill sets involved to maintain wastewater treatment plants even if they are successfully developed. Reduction in groundwater overdrafting is usually politically very unpopular and has major economic impacts to [[farmer]]s; moreover, this strategy will necessarily reduce crop output, which is something the world can ill afford, given the population level at present. At more realistic levels, developing countries can strive to achieve primary wastewater treatment or secure [[septic system]]s, and carefully analyse wastewater outfall design to miminise impacts to drinking water and to ecosystems. Developed countries can not only share technology better, including cost-effective wastewater and water treatment systems but also in [[hydrological transport model]]ing. At the individual level, people in developed countries can look inward and reduce overconsumption, which further strains worldwide water consumption. Both developed and developing countries can increase protection of ecosytems, especially wetlands and riparian zones. These measures will not only conserve [[biota]], but also render more effective the natural [[water cycle]] flushing and transport that make water systems more healthy for humans. ==Desalination== As new technological innovations continue to reduce the capital cost of [[desalination]], more countries are building [[desalination]] plants as a small element in addressing their water crises [http://www.newstarget.com/021041.html], [http://www.medrc.org/new_content/industry_news/sept00/story1.htm]. *[[Israel]] desalinizes water for a cost of 53 cents per cubic meter [http://www.ejpress.org/article/4873]. *[[Singapore]] desalinizes water for 49 cents per cubic meter [http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=11402&channel=0] and also treats sewage with [[reverse osmosis]] for industrial and potable use ([[NEWater]]). *[[China]] and [[India]], the world's two most populous countries, are turning to desalination to provide a small part of their water needs [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10408553], [http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/17/stories/2007011719260300.htm]. *In 2007 [[Pakistan]] announced plans to use desalination [http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/newNuclear/190107Pakistan_embarks_on_nuclear_desalination.shtml]. *[[Australia]] uses desalination [http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=8324]. *In 2007 [[Bermuda]] signed a contract to purchase a desalination plant [http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000052/005273.htm]. * In the [[United States]], [[California]], [[Arizona]], [[Texas]], and [[Florida]] use desalination for a very small part of their water supply [http://www.carlsbaddesal.com/], [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0714FE3D5B0C778CDDAD0894DF404482], [http://www.newscientisttech.com/channel/tech/mg19125586.100.html]. [[Nuclear power]] is one way to provide the energy for desalination. [http://www.wonuc.org/desalination/index.htm], [http://www.uic.com.au/nip74.htm], [http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/NENP/NPTDS/Projects/nd/index.html], [http://www.environmental-expert.com/magazine/inderscience/ijnd/index.asp]. However, given the energy intensive nature of desalination, with associated economic and environmental costs, desalination is generally considered a last resort after [[water conservation]]. ==Global experiences in managing water crisis== It is alleged that the likelihood of conflict rises if the rate of change within the basin exceeds the capacity of institution to absorb that change [28] Although water crisis is closely related to regional tensions, history showed that the 37 records of acute conflict over water are far less than the record of cooperation. In the last 50 years 157 treaties were signed, 1,288 crises turned out to be a co-operative opportunities. The key lies in strong institutions and cooperation. The Indus River Commission and the Indus Water Treaty survived two wars between India and Pakistan despite their hostility, and was proved to be a successful mechanism in resolving conflicts by providing a framework for consultation, inspection and exchange of data.The Mekong Committee has also functioned since 1957 and it survived the Vietnam War. In contrast, regional instability resulted when there is an absence of institutions to co-operate regional collaboration, like Egypt’s plan for a high dam on the Nile. However, there is currently no global institution in place for the management and management of transboundary water sources, and international co-operation had happened through ad hoc collaborations between agencies, like Mekong Committee was formed due to alliance between UNECAFE and US Bureau of Reclamation. Formation of strong international institutions seems to be a way forward: They fuel early intervention and management, preventing the costly dispute resolution process. One common feature of almost all disputes resolved is that the negotiations had a “need-based” instead of a “right –based” paradigm. Irrigable lands, population, technicalities of projects define "needs". The success of a need-based paradigm is reflected in the only water agreement ever negotiated in the Jordan River Basin, it focuses in needs not on rights of riparians. In the Indian subcontinent, irrigation requirements of Bangladesh determine water allocations of The [[Ganges River]]. A need based, regional approach focuses on satisfying individuals with their need of water, ensures that minimum quantitative needs are being met. It removes the conflict that arises when countries view the treaty from a national interest point of view, move away from the zero-sum approach to a positive sum, integrative approach that equitably allocated the water and its benefits[29]. ==See also== ===Water-related problems=== * [[Water pollution]] * [[Water treatment]] * [[Water filter]] * [[Drought]] * [[Desertification]] ===Demographic problems=== * [[Malnutrition]] * [[Overpopulation]] * [[Overconsumption]] ===Cases of water crisis === * [[1998 Klang Valley water crisis]] * [[China water crisis]] * [[California Water Wars]] ===Other=== * [[Green Revolution]] * [[Water 1st International]] (non-profit) * [[WaterPartners International]] (non-profit) * [[Water footprint]] == References== <div style="font-size:90%;"> <references /> </div> ==External links== * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2000/world_water_crisis/default.stm BBC News World Water Crisis Maps] *[http://www.haitiwater.org International Action: Fighting the Water Crisis in Haiti] *[http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=25 World Water Council: Water Crisis] *[http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/campaigns/toxics/water-pollution China water crisis - Greenpeace China] [[Category:Drinking water]] [[Category:Environmental issues]] [[Category:Public health]] [[Category:Water supply]] [[de:Wasserkrise]] [[it:Crisi idrica]] [[hu:Ivóvízhiány]] [[ms:Krisis air]] [[ja:水の危機]] [[zh:水危机]]