Rich or Poor Nation: Water Scarcity is a Global Crisis

Abstract

Almost four billion people face severe water scarcity worldwide.  This is not a problem of either rich or poor countries. Simply using more fresh water than is available for agriculture, Industry, or domestic use has made the crisis critical. Climate change has degraded the patterns of fresh-water availability worldwide while population growth and rising standards of living have caused increasing demand on the supplies. This paper discusses only the supply and demand side of fresh water. The problems related to the distribution or quality of that water is beyond the scope of this study. Although citing examples of water-related crises in USA, Brazil, and North and North-Central Africa (hereafter referred to as NNCA), the main part of the paper deals with the causes and possible solutions for hydrological "emergency" in India.  India provides a type example for the causes of water crisis and its possible solutions. Logical steps taken at one time to raise the standards of living and provide plentiful food for the population appear to have worsened the crisis many years later. Population growth, increased living standards, growing urbanization (considered public good) have all contributed to the water crisis not just in India, but worldwide. Perhaps the Indian example can serve as a “model” for what to do and perhaps more importantly, what not to do for other parts of the world.

In 1951 the Indian population stood at 361million; by 2023 it has exceeded China's at 1.461 billion. During this period, the per-capita water availability has decreased almost fourfold! The urban population has more than doubled (from less than 20% to 40%) causing metropolitan areas to grow outwards and upwards and reducing the recharge areas to provide for the water needs of the cities. To feed the growing population, during the "Green Revolution" in the 1960s, the government provided incentives to farmers to use mechanical pumps (subsidies for electricity and fuel), for water from canals, and for fertilizers. All of this made India not only self-sufficient in food, but the world's top producer of rice and the second largest producer of wheat. However, it has also made India number one out of 170 countries in total freshwater withdrawal (2.5 trillion m³). As a result, the water table is dangerously low in many of the aquifers. In addition, pollution of surface and ground water, lack of storage capacity for the available water, and weakening of monsoons have added to the water crisis.

Steps to manage the surface waters by interlinking river systems, harvesting rain water, improving irrigation methods, changing crop patterns to reduce the use of groundwater and improving wastewater treatment may be parts of the solution not just in India, but worldwide. However, the key factors are political will and economic realities if the problem is to be tackled in a timely manner.