The Causes of Water Shortages in Third World Countries - Assignment Example

The causes of water shortages in third world countries and how can it be rectified Introduction The third world or developing countries tend to face a larger number of challenges when compared to the already developed countries. The challenges are caused by the unique and special factors that present themselves in these areas. Some of them have been identified as drought, tropical diseases, poor economic status among others. However, one of the most prominent elements in the third world countries has been water shortage. This has resulted so much more problems that make it difficult for these countries to cope with the pace that is set by their counterparts in the developed countries. It is imminent that the governments and leaders in these countries find solutions to these problems. In this paper, the identification and handling of the causes of such problems in relation to their historical context is one of the ways through which a solution will be found and some of the many other problems that are faced by these countries minimized. It is apparent that the shortage of water in the developing countries is a serious health issue in the world today and should be given immediate address to save the lives of millions of individuals who are losing their lives from ailments that can be prevented. Historical context The problem of water shortage has been extensive in the third world countries for a long time. Since time immemorial, water has been an absolutely essential commodity for existence. It has served an important role in the preservation and development of human life (Bantrum & Cairncross 5). Causes of water shortage in the developing countries The main causes of water shortage all over the world have been linked to the mismanagement by the governments and the lack of proper planning in the developing countries. One of the highlighted issues in this case is that the developing countries often tend to use strategies that work well for regions that have the opposite or the extreme conditions from those presented in them. For instance, most of the strategies that they usually use were previously intended for application in temperate regions. This is a great mistake since most of the developing countries are found in arid and semi arid areas that are completely contrasting in terms of climate to the temperate regions. Additionally, developing countries also apply the space time nature of data that is contrasting to the appropriate one. This is in the sense that most of the developed countries possess a number of years and decades of daily data that contain the acceptable geographical distribution unlike in the developing countries. Moreover, in the developing countries, the knowledge and the distribution of the geographical data and conditions is still in its initial stages. It has also been shown that the all these problem are linked to the authorities and leaders in the developing countries who lack the required knowledge about the importance of ground water and its importance to the connection with the other components in the environment (Fewkes 235). Global context There is a growing scarcity of fresh water; which has been an essential commodity all over the world. This has resulted from the growing demands for the various usages of water. As a consequence, it has caused tremendous problems for the local population, the agricultural sector, health. The main people who are affected are the farmers who highly depend on water for their production. In addition, despite the fact that water is an essential commodity all over the world, about one billion people in the world do not have portable water. Botting et al. (615), illustrate that most of these individuals are found in the third world countries. Why we need to act now The governments in the third world countries need to take drastic actions in order to solve the water shortage problems in their countries. For these reason, a water crisis has engulfed these regions to the extent that it threatens the quality of life for those people living in the third world countries. As is indicated by the report from the United Nations Human Development, the crisis that is brought about by water and sanitation has been shown to claim more lives when compared to the ones that are claimed by war through the use of weapons (UNICEF & WHO 20). Each year, it is reported that approximately 1.4 million people who are mostly children lose their lives because they lack clean water for drinking. Moreover, around 3.6 million people die every year because of the various conditions and situations related to water. Out of this number, it is shown that children make 84% of this while adults make 98% of it especially those who live in the developing world (Galiani 83). Possible solutions These strategies will be greatly helpful as during the period of water shortages, the water users such as the farmers may manage to deal with issues of supply and demand and help the government and the decision makers to come up with the relevant approaches. One of the major solutions that can be placed to ensure that the problem of water shortage and its effects in the developing countries is solved includes the setting of related policies. The affected countries can adopt policies that are related to the provision of the intermittent or the cyclic patterns. The other possible solutions to the problem of water crisis in developing countries include the more practical ones. An example of this is the surface water remedy. Most people in the developing countries acquire their water from sources that are found on the upper level. They include ponds, streams, rivers and lakes. These are the same sources where both animals and human beings also deposit their wastes. As such, they are contaminated and thus prone to causing diseases. Because of this, before the surface water can be used it should be properly purified to ensure that it is safe for consumption. The different methods that can be used for water purification include filtration, boiling, chlorination and the education of the public about safe and healthy collection methods such as roof catchment. The other appropriate solution to the problem is related to development. This calls for the positive improvement of the situations that affect the countries. The United Nations Development Report indicates that for every dollar that is spent on the improvement of water conditions and sanitations, another 8 dollars are generated as a result of increased productivity (UNICEF & WHO 47). The absence of water in the form of a crisis ultimately decreases the Gross Domestic Product by approximately 5%. In this case, most of the countries especially in the developing nations should make an effort of improving the water crisis and making clean water available in order to reduce child mortality and increase the level of productivity in their countries (Fewkes 330). How this issue relates to the country of Bahrain The issue of water shortage is a major problem in most of the developing countries. Most of the affected areas are found in Africa and in the Middle East. However, due to the nature of the different management strategies and the structures that are present in varied countries, there are those that have been more hard hit that the others. For example, in Bahrain, the problem of water crisis has been a serious issue for a long time. For a long time, the country was ranked as the second country to make use of large amounts of water per square centimeters of land. This was considered a disproportionate large amount of water for consumption. Before the year 1925, the water supply to Bahrain was largely dependent on the natural and fresh spring waters that used to flow freely towards the northern part of the country. At the middle of the 1980’s most of the springs that were very vital ceased to flow. It made the demand for water in the region increase and hence led to the shortage of water supply in Bahrain (Bahrain par. 1). At the moment, Bahrain relies greatly on the non conventional water sources. It possesses 4 desalination plants, which make it possible to produce a total amount of 156 mn of imperial gallons of both desalinated and ground water. As a result, the total consumption of blended water in Bahrain reaches about 150 mn of imperial gallons. In this case, the water shortage issue as a crisis can be relevantly compared to Bahrain, which as one of the developing countries has faced the serious effects of water shortage. Due to number of deaths and illnesses that came up as a result of the problem, the authorities were forced to develop and define new ways that made it possible for the country to reduce the water shortage and minimize its effects. This is a step that should be emulated by all the developing countries that are facing similar crisis at the moment (Bahrain par. 1-2) Conclusion The structures placed in the developing countries make it difficult for them, to handle most of their problems in the right manner. It is the few problems that they face that multiply to the extent of producing many other problems. For instance, the shortage of water in the developing countries most of the times lead to such problems as poor sanitation, lack of hygiene and regular episodes of hunger, which as a result lead to frequent diseases and in turn, a high rate of mortality. In this case, a lot of other areas are affected by such conditions. Nonetheless, it is right to say that the solution of a single problem in the region is the greatest step towards the reduction of many other problems among the people who live in these areas. This involves the development and the proper use of the correct policies that will help to alleviate the issue of water shortage in the developing countries and hence its immense effects. Works Cited Bahrain. Water. 2015. Web Bartram, J., & Cairncross, S. Hygiene, sanitation, and water: Forgotten foundations of health. Plos Medicine. 2010. 7(11), 1-9. Botting, M. J., Porbeni, E. O., Joffres, M. R., Johnston, B. C., Black, R. E., & Mills, E. J. Water and sanitation infrastructure for health: The impact of foreign aid. Globalization & Health. 2010; 612-19. Fewkes, A. Modeling the performance of rainwater collection systems: Towards a generalized approach. Urban Water. 2000. 1(4); 323-333. Galiani, S. Water for life: The impact of the privatization of water services on child mortality. The Journal of Political Economy. 2005. 113(1); 83. UNICEF, & WHO. Diarrhea: Why children are still dying and what can be done. (pp. 1-60). New York, NY: The United Nations Children’s Fund. 2009. Read More