While some human activities have magnified the water crisis, humans have also developed technologies to better acquire or conserve freshwater. Solutions to addressing water shortages include dams and reservoirs, rainwater harvesting, aqueducts, desalination, water reuse, and water conservation. A multidimensional global water crisis is the front and centre of our current environmental problems. Amidst rising temperatures, water scarcity is endangering lives at one end, while heat waves are often followed by heavy rains and flash floods. Surging levels of extreme heat waves, as seen in Asia, Europe, and parts of the US, demonstrate as much.
At the other end of the water crisis are cyclones and floods of ‘Biblical proportions’ that have killed thousands of people, damaged infrastructure and worsened the financial woes of poor countries. Sea level rise due to global warming is affecting coastal communities and leading to the Stalinization of groundwater resources.
Water stress is tipped as one of the top global risks in the coming decade. According to the WHO, about two billion people lack access to safe drinking water, while 4.2bn do not have adequate sanitation. Demand for drinking water and sanitation is outpacing the supply in most developing countries.
Oceans, which hold over 95 per cent of Earth’s water, are also threatened by global warming. The temperature of the water in them is rising fast, leading to increased moisture in the air, which translates into heavy rains and intense hurricanes and typhoons. An analysis at the University of St Thomas in Minnesota found that last year the oceans were at their hottest ever.
The truth of climate change cannot be faced without getting to grips with the water crisis, which is stalling sustainable development in the Global South and depriving people of their basic right to water and a clean, healthy environment. However, if addressed in a timely and appropriate manner, water can be an enabler of socioeconomic development and environmental sustainability, as it connects all aspects of life.
The imperative for urgent action was reiterated this month at the High-Level Political Forum which reviewed SDG progress. A synthesis report of SDG6, relating to water targets, notes that for reaching the global target of universal access by 2030, “progress needs to increase six times faster for safely managed drinking water, five times faster for safely managed sanitation and three times faster for basic hygiene”. According to the report, water stress has increased globally, with some regions experiencing substantial increases, particularly in the arid areas, representing a serious concern for food security and the resilience of agricultural systems facing climate change.
Poor water resource management is cited as a factor associated with rapid changes in the areas covered by surface waters in one-fifth of the world’s river basins, leading to flooding and droughts. At a time when more investment is required in the water sector, the report revealed that “official development assistance commitments to the water sector decreased by 12pc from 2015 to 2021, and actual disbursements decreased by 15pc over the same period”.
The report identifies five priority areas to overcome the crisis, including: new and efficient investments; provision of credible and timely data for decision-making; national-level workforce assessments and capacity assessment--dding; utilizing technology while customizing innovations to local contexts, and streamlining water governance and management by addressing institutional weakness, poor regulation, accountability, and transparency.
Through its Integrated Water Resource Management program, UNEP supports countries for protection, restoration, and management of freshwater ecosystems. An integrated approach also requires international cooperation, as transbound waters account for 60pc of the world’s freshwater flows.
For water-stressed developing countries, improving water resource management, institutional capacity building, policy coherence and engaging local authorities at the national level will be as necessary as strengthening transbound water cooperation. These will be critical ingredients for a holistic approach to contain the growing risks of the water and climate crisis.
To reduce the water scarcity in our society, we should develop water filtration so that everyone has access to clean and drinkable, safe water. We should reduce the use of water usage. We should improve our irrigation efficiency save which we will be able to save our water. We should increase water storage reservoirs.
Water solutions must be the front and centre of all efforts for sustainable development.
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