Seeking Solutions fora World at Risk of Water Shortage

December 6, 2015 Guest Post

The world has crossed 6 billion in populationand is swiftly growing exponentially to reach 7 billion in a short span of time than it reached its previous billion. Coupled with climate change, the availability of fresh water has now become a controversial issue, which is why there is an urgent need to look into fresh solutions to prevent a worldwide calamity in the future. A complex blend of individual choices and economic policies that are broad and social in nature could help in feeding and watering the growing population in the years to come.

Although a myriad of solutions are available, ranging from hi-tech technological advancements to individual choices, it is important that people find the will to act it out. The water shortage mess is something that can be easily tackled, but much of humanity does not have its hands on controlling the situation very much. According to a conference sponsored by the PepsiCo foundation and co-hosted by the Columbia Water Centre, thousands of citizens and students were made aware of the major issues that the world is facing today in order to become sustainable in the near future.

 

As the world is moving beyond 7 billion people, how is it going to be possible to provide sufficient safe water for sanitation and drinking, produce enough food for everybody while supplying the industry and preserving the natural environments?

 

All across the globe, the effects of water stress is highly evident. In a number of regions, water supplies are being drawn faster than are being replenished. World food prices were suddenly driven up due to the recent drought that affected over 65% of the United States that resulted in devastated crops and low food supply. In Africa within the Sahara region, there is an ongoing drought that has not only affected the supply of food but has also caused migration and intense civil uprisings. In India, despite the sub-continent being a monsoon country and the Green Revolution that has been feeding the nation, underground water supplies are being decimated rapidly, bringing the country dangerously close to water starvation.

 

Whilst in Oceania, more specifically in Australia, people are mandated to collect rainwater to solve this issue. The government itself have worked on solutions to implement rainwater collection. Most rainwater tank suppliers like http://www.rainwatertanksdirect.com.au has helped the people to learn more about the system

 

According to the experts of Global Freshwater Strategies for The Nature Conservancy, the world is currently using approximately 5% of available fresh water on the planet. Periodic dry spells, damaging storms, floods, soil erosion and the overall natural climate variability is demanding the need for conservation and better planning. In the months to come, climate change is surely to exacerbate these issues and global warming is certain to make dry areas drier and wet areas better. Unfortunately, the solutions that are available to us today might not work in the future days.

Among the many solutions available these days, one of the bigger opportunities for better efficiency lies in agriculture. For example, in India, farmers are taught to reduce the consumption of water with the help of specific implements that can help in monitoring the moisture levels of soils thus leading to effective irrigation systems. These tools are also helpful in determining whether farmers are growing the right crops in the right areas, thus cutting down the demand for water by raising drought resistant crops in scarce areas.

 

We live in a world where more people have better access to cell phones than adequate sanitation services. Although there is no magic solution to the water shortage problem, it is important that individuals and government bodies approach the situation with the humility and sensitivity.
Author Bio:
Carol is a Freelance article writer, her main writing includes on home décor subjects. Currently she is writing articles for Biocell sewage treatment company, An Irish Company offering sewage treatment services across Ireland.