The Global Water Demands - Report Example

GLOBAL WATER DEMANDS AND PROJECTIONS FOR FOOD SUPPLY IN 2050 Author’s Name Instructors’ Name Course Date Introduction Water is a basic requirement for every living organism. Most activities carried out by living organism depend on the availability of water in the body. Metabolic, digestion, growth, and proper health depend on accessibility to clean and consumable water. In order to determine whether there will be enough water to sustain the growing demand for food, it is important to note those factors influencing the availability of water for consumption. This will help answer the questions relating to the demand for food is there is a projection to 2050. With the increasing human population and unsustainable human activities like encroachment into the water, catchment areas are some of the factors determining the global trend in the availability of water. There is a greater relationship between water and food availability. Globally, most countries are categorized under developing countries. These countries rely greatly on agricultural products to sustain their growing population. However, with the changing rainfall patterns and inadequate water for irrigation are affecting these countries (Novotny 2003, 264). The amount of water available for human consumption is less than 3%. A Greater percentage of available water is seawater, which is undrinkable. The available fresh water comes from the rainfall, natural lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Economic development is also a factor while considering the trend of water. With increasing economic growth, many industries are entering the manufacturing sector. These industrial activities increase the amount of dangerous gases in the atmosphere resulting in the formation of acid rains that is non-consumable water to the humans (Gleick and Cooley 2006, 239). Many industries are polluting water surfaces through channeling untreated water into the rivers and other water bodies. People are refraining from consuming this water due to health related issues. Agriculture consumes about 70% of the available freshwater, 20% in industries, and only 10% is available for human consumption. With continued unsustainable human activities, the demand for water will raise project by 50% in 2050. Reduction in accessibility and availability of water results in a decline for agricultural produce. Therefore, there is need for recommendation of sustainable human activities like increment in the forest cover through planting trees, investments in water industries to assist in the water treatment process, and discouraging residence along the rivers banks. If unsustainable use of water continues, then there will be insufficient water for food production by 2050. It is from that background the research discusses the water demand, trend, and projection. Moreover, it offers recommendations to reduce the escalating demand for water. Figure 1: water consumption by sector Water demands and projection Overview The demand for water varies from one geographical location to another. Areas bordering fresh and accessible water sources might not experience the deficiency in the supply of water like other areas; however, there is need these areas to consider the safety of the water. The demand for water is also becoming similar to that of oil signifying the importance of water for both economical and human consumption. The geographical distribution of water is uneven globally. Some countries are landlocked while other are open to the accessibility of water outside the countries. Even though these waters are considered salty, they still have a greater economic importance (Vairavamoorthy, Gorantiwar and Pathirana 2008, 231/345). There is high demend for fresh water considering its importance. Many activities rely on this water thereby causing a lot of pressure on this natural resource. Moreover, with the increasing global population, there is an encroachment into the catchment areas of forest. With reduced forest cover, various areas experience prolonged drought and increasing demand for food due fewer amounts of rainfall received and low soil moisture content. Fresh waters are extractable from the surfaces and underground systems. The rates of such extractions are also worrying globally. Unsustainable human activities also affect the hydro-geological cycle. Deforestation and poor agricultural techniques reduce the amount of moisture available for evaporation therefore affecting the amount of rainfall in a given area. Industrial activities lead to pollution of both underground and surface water. Many industries are disposing untreated water in the water bodies causing eutrophication. A phenomenon in which there is an increment in the amount of nutrient in the water bodies, thus encouraging the growth of plants on the water surface. Untreated water also reduces the quality of water through a reduction in the amounts of dissolved oxygen rendering it unsafe for both human consumption and agricultural use. According to FAO, by 2050 about 2.5 billion people will be experiencing absolute scarcity of water while two-thirds (2/3) will be under water stressed conditions. Figure 2: Graphs reflecting how water consumption is evolving with sector The earth contains less than 3% of the freshwater. This percentage of water is under stress from human activities, agricultural activities, and other non-ocean life. Freshwater is available as groundwater, glaciers, and surface waters in a proportion of 30.1%, 68.6%, and 1.3% respectively. Ground water mainly occurs in the underground aquifers while surface waters consist of water from the lakes, streams, and seas. Most human populations and other biological organism rely greatly on the surface waters. With the expected continued increase in human population from 6.58 billion to 8.1 billion by 2030 and 9 billion by 2050 is likely to further increase the level of water demand if human activities do not shift from unsustainable to sustainable. According to the United Nations, by 2050 the world population is expected to increase by 3 billion people of whom the developing countries will contribute a greater percentage. As a result, there is need to develop a method of conserving and recycling water resources. Most countries experiencing water shortage are those within the Sub-Saharan Africa due to unsustainable economic activities. The effect of increased in human population is evident in cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Manila, Mexico City, and Bangkok where aquifer levels dropped between 12 to 53 metres. In China, the decline in aquifer level was due to the drought, which occurred after five decades in 2009. It is important for countries to ensure a sustainable use of the available environmental resources. A decline in the availability of water does affect not only industrial and human activities, but also environmental problems. The pressure increases environmental costs like biodiversity loss and decreases in the natural water systems. Every country is fighting for Growth Development Product through encouraging investment in the industrial sector. This is beneficial since it offers employment to the people; however, there is need to integrate environmental issues related to such activities. Most industries lack proper wastewater treatment facilities and techniques of preventing dangerous gases into the atmosphere. These gases lead to the development of acid rains and pollution of water bodies, thus reducing the percentage of freshwater available for human consumption. Countries should not take drought related issues for granted. The amount of rainfall received in a given area determines its drought level. Drought may occur due to human or natural causes. Global warming as natural effects, leads to increased evapotranspiration rates in water bodies and plants. With imbalanced hydrological cycles, theses water bodies dry up leading to drought in certain areas (Tan, Gueye and Bruce 2005, 421). Therefore, therefore there is need to develop mechanisms of curbing drought globally to reduce its impact on agricultural and industrial activities. Moreover, with increasing world population, many countries are opting to the production of electricity through biological decomposition of plants. As a result, many countries are diverting river direction into the farms to produce plants for production of electricity. These activities as well reduce the percentage of water available for human consumption. For sustainability, countries should focus on electricity production methods, which do not require water like harnessing solar energy. In this regard, if the world does not reduce water-intensive electricity consumption, then in the next 30 years, people will be experiencing a severe shortage of water (Rosegrant et al. 2002,42). Most water problems are due to inappropriate human activities. A change in human population is proportional to the water consumption. According to Nellemann and Macdevette (2009,), the world population increased almost three times while the water consumption increased by six fold over the last one century. Considering the existing economic activities within a given geographical area, it is easier to determine the water demand in those area and projections as well. Water demand is very high in developing countries since these countries rely on agricultural activities to sustain their economy. As a result, any shift in the availability and supply of water resources, might have a very big implication on these countries. Water is a basic requirement for the humans; it makes people migrate to regions with accessible and safe water for consumption. Migration causes human congestion in areas with safe water. As a result, a lot of pressure is mounting on this resource at that particular location of the migrants. A combination of Over extraction of water resources and climate change, are likely to widen the gap between the quantity of water accessible for human consumption and demand by over 50% (Schulze and Maharaj 2004,42). Thus, while planning strategies for water consumption, it is important to consider the population growth rate of the area and consumption per person. This might assist in the future projection rate of water demand. The results from the projection are significant while determining the amount of water a given population will require during the dry spell. Furthermore, projection assists in planning and reduction in future risks associated with decreased water availability. It is important to note the relationship between water and food production. Geographical areas with an adequate supply of water can invest in agricultural activities. These areas supplement the reduction of water supply by irrigation from the rivers or constructed reservoirs. In developing which mainly depends on agricultural produce, reduction the amount of water is likely to have a devastating negative effect the food production (Seckler 1998, 52). Even though agriculture activities in developing countries are affected directly by a reduction in water supply, developed countries on the other hand experience the impact indirectly. Developed countries depend on agricultural products from developing countries to process and produce a product. Water availability and proper agricultural techniques assure the farmers of better agricultural products. Water trend and projection Globally, industries, farmers, ecosystems, and energy supplier are competing for the inadequate amount of water to meet their daily demands. Whenever there are no guidelines for water consumption, catchment areas and water resource management invests higher cost remedying the situation. In addition to the cost of management, problems with health related issues and environmental damages are also compromised. With the dropping amount of water, it is important to the safety, cleanliness, and adequacy of the available water for consumption. To moderate the frequency at which people are unsustainably utilizing water resources, individual countries and international bodies concerned with the management of environmental resources, should focus on the formulation of policies, which encourage sustainable use of water resources. It is from this background the OECD calls for the world to come up with effective strategies of water consumption for the future generation and needs in its water outlook research (OECD 2012, 19). While considering the trend and projections of water consumption, it is significant to critically the water variability factors like water supply and sanitation, water availability, water quality, and water-related disasters. Water availability relates to the quantity of water available for human consumption. About a century ago, water was available in underground aquifers, permanent rivers, and rainfall patterns were predictable. These conditions are changing and water is becoming a limited resource for both domestic consumption and industrial use. Water is the most important components for any living organisms, leave alone human beings. It is projected that water demand will have increased by more than 55% in 2050, as from 2000 (OECD 2013,56). Water-based activities are also on the rise with agriculture, manufacturing, electricity, and domestic uses taking the lead. Most water uses are quite not sustainable; hence, with the current projection into the near future, there will be an insufficient amount of water available in many locations. With increasing water demand and water-based activities, the amount of water that will be available for irrigation in 2050 is questionable. Consequently, this leads to reduced amount of food available for the growing population (Coe and Foley 2001, 52). The prevailing and encroaching drought conditions in several areas force people to exploit underground water resources in a manner that is unsuitable. In the last one century, the rate of groundwater extraction has tripled which is likely to pose a greater threat to agricultural activities and urban water supplies in 2050. The availability of water is not enough without considering how good it is for human consumption (Nellemann and Macdevette 2009,431). It is important to consider water as well. Over the years, factors determining the quality of water such as dissolved oxygen, turbidity level, and nutrient content have been deteriorating due to inappropriate human activities and climate change. There is further expectation in deterioration rate of water quality due to increasing change in climatic conditions. Climate change related issues like temperature increase causes ice on the mountain to melt, hence, increasing the rates of floods. These floods and industrial discharge of untreated water affects the quality of water. Moreover, increased water temperature reduces the amount of available in water. Industrial activities also contributing to the pollution of of water bodies leading to water-related diseases like cholera and typhoid (Rosegrant, Cai and Cline 2002, 126). Polluted water is not safe for both plants and human consumption. Continuous uptake of these minerals might accumulate within the plant tissues posing health related problems. For example, approximately 91% (about 77 million people) of Bangladesh population depends on groundwater as a source its freshwater source exposing them to risks associated to arsenic. In developing countries, direct discharge of sewage water into the water bodies is the greatest issue, which alters the chemical, biological, and physical characteristics. Furthermore, industries dump about 350 million tons of heavy metals and toxic sludge into the water bodies. Access to clean and improved water sources is one of the Millennium Development Goals. Water accessibility is an issue especially in the rural areas. With increased water pollution rate, accessing reliable and safe water for drinking is becoming a bigger issue that requires fast attention. It is an issue of concern that so many parts of the third world countries, many people lack access to clean water for basic consumption (Amarasinghe 2007,237). Research indicates that many women and children in these countries are vulnerable to long distance walks in such for clean water to drink, for agricultural purposes, livestock, and domestic usage. Sanitation is also becoming an issue as most people are turning rivers to be waste dumping sites. Moreover, landfills also pose sanitation problems of underground water contamination leading to the emergence of diseases. Over 250 million people are still living in areas without safe drinking water even with the elapsing duration set for Millennium Development Goals. The greater percentage of these people is mostly in the rural areas, and the probability of these figure expected to increase by 2050 being very high. With reducing amount of water, people are moving into areas close to water bodies exposing the lives to risks associated with flooding. The number is projected to increase from 1.3 billion to roughly 1.6 billion people in 2050. Figure 3: A graph showing a projection of water demand per continent A case study of Egypt indicates its vulnerability to water stress due to climate change. An analysis conducted in 2000 indicates that the country consumes about 70 km3. This figure exceeds the available water resource in the country (Gueye et al., 2005,342). The major challenges faced in the country is the rapidly widening gap between the limited water supply and demand from agricultural and industrial sectors. The country already reached maximum utilization rate, but there is an expectation of the exacerbating situation due to climate change. Agricultural activities utilize approximately 85% of the annually available water resources as it plays a crucial role in the country’s economy and contributing 20% of the GDP. About 72% of the Egyptians cultivate areas on low-efficiency surface irrigation technique posing water logging and salinity related issues. Climate change issues are likely to have severe impact Nile Delta. By 2050, it is projected that the increment in temperatures will reduce the productivity of crops and escalate water demand for the country. There is also an expectation in the population growth between 115 and 179 within the same period. This will lead to increased water stress within all the sectors of the country. With reduced amount of water supply, people are opting to use underground water, which might not be completely safe for drinking posing risks of contacting health related complications accelerated by climate change. Recommendations Considering the rate at which people utilize water resources in unsustainable manner, it is important to formulate guidelines and methods of extracting water resources. UNESCO recommends planting of water resistant food, application of water harvesting mechanisms and proper usage of water at all levels (UNESCO 2012,334). In addition, it is crucial to promote the protection of the wetlands as required by the Ramsar Convention. Protection of all water resources leads to efficient and improved extraction of water resources. Creation of incentives for efficient water consumption through pricing will help signal scarcity. It is important to improve water quality through setting the standards for wastewater treatment and channeling into the water bodies. This will help reduce diseases resulting from consumption of water with poor quality. Encouraging water-harvesting culture among the people is crucial at this point. Harvested water is always helpful especially when there is a drought. The methods include construction of dams for the collection of running surface water and use of gutters to collect rainwater. Industries should also ensure they use production methods, which discourages pollution of the environment. As a result, curbing effects related to acid rains. The most effective method of ensuring a reduction in overexploitation of water resources is through improving communication, education, and advocacy. The government and international bodies should encourage sustainable consumption of water by teaching people on the best methods of utilizing water resources. Countries should also encourage implementation of the polluter pays principles in which those companies responsible for introducing pollutants into the environment bears all the cost remedying the condition. Conclusion Globally, all countries suffer the impacts declining amounts of water either directly or indirectly. Most of the water related problems mainly affect developing countries, to be precise in the rural areas. The trends and future projections show the demand for water is likely to increase by 2050. Moreover, these changes are because of increased human and industrial activities. With the increasing industrial pollution and poor legislation governing wastewater treatment, there is a project in the decline of water quality thus reducing the amount of water available for human consumption. Population plays a major factor in the trend of water consumption. While considering the formulation of the water use control startegies, it is crucial to involve the public and integrate their views while formulating water management policies. Furthermore, water availability determines the amount of food available globally irrespective of whether a country relies on agricultural crops or finished products. From the study, it is vibrant that there will be insufficient water for food production by 2050. Reference Amarasinghe., U. A. (2007). India's water future to 2025-2050 business-as-usual scenario and deviations. Colombo, Sri Lanka, International Water Management Institute. Coe, M. T., & Foley, J. A. (2001). Human and natural impacts on the water resources of the Lake Chad basin. Journal of Geophysical Research, 106(4), 3349-3356. Gleick, P. H., & Cooley, H. (2006). The world's water, 2006-2007: The biennial report on freshwater resources. Washington, DC: Island Press. Nellemann, C., & Macdevette, M. (2009). The environmental food crisis: the environment's role in averting future food crises: a UNEP rapid response assessment. Arendal, UNEP/GRID-Arendal. Novotny, V. (2003). Water quality: Diffuse pollution and watershed management. CSIRO Publishers, Collingwood, Australia. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. (2012). OECD environmental outlook to 2050 consequences of inaction. Paris, OECD. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. (2013). Water security for better lives. Paris, OECD. Rosegrant, M., Cai, X., & Cline, S., (2002). World water and food to 2025: dealing with scarcity. Washington, D.C., International Food Policy Research Institute. Schulze, R. & Maharaj, M. (2004). Climate Change and Water Resources in Southern Africa: Studies on Scenarios, Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Adaptation. (n.d.). Pretoria, RSA: Water Research Commission, Seckler, D. W. (1998). World water supply and demand in 1990 to 2025: scenarios and issues. Colombo, Sri Lanka, International Water Management Institute. Tan, S. F., Gueye, B., & Bruce, J. (2005). Portraits of family farming in West Africa. London: International institute for environment and development (IIED). Drylands programme. UNESCO. (2012). Managing water under uncertainty and risk Vol. 3, Vol. 3. Managing Water Under Uncertainty and Risk. Paris, UNESCO. Vairavamoorthy, K., Gorantiwar, S. D., & Pathirana, A. (2008). Managing urban water supplies in developing countries – Climate change and water scarcity scenarios. Physics and Chemistry of The Earth, 32 (2008), 330-339. Read More

Figure 1: water consumption by sector Water demands and projection Overview The demand for water varies from one geographical location to another. Areas bordering fresh and accessible water sources might not experience the deficiency in the supply of water like other areas; however, there is need these areas to consider the safety of the water. The demand for water is also becoming similar to that of oil signifying the importance of water for both economical and human consumption. The geographical distribution of water is uneven globally.

Some countries are landlocked while other are open to the accessibility of water outside the countries. Even though these waters are considered salty, they still have a greater economic importance (Vairavamoorthy, Gorantiwar and Pathirana 2008, 231/345). There is high demend for fresh water considering its importance. Many activities rely on this water thereby causing a lot of pressure on this natural resource. Moreover, with the increasing global population, there is an encroachment into the catchment areas of forest.

With reduced forest cover, various areas experience prolonged drought and increasing demand for food due fewer amounts of rainfall received and low soil moisture content. Fresh waters are extractable from the surfaces and underground systems. The rates of such extractions are also worrying globally. Unsustainable human activities also affect the hydro-geological cycle. Deforestation and poor agricultural techniques reduce the amount of moisture available for evaporation therefore affecting the amount of rainfall in a given area.

Industrial activities lead to pollution of both underground and surface water. Many industries are disposing untreated water in the water bodies causing eutrophication. A phenomenon in which there is an increment in the amount of nutrient in the water bodies, thus encouraging the growth of plants on the water surface. Untreated water also reduces the quality of water through a reduction in the amounts of dissolved oxygen rendering it unsafe for both human consumption and agricultural use. According to FAO, by 2050 about 2.

5 billion people will be experiencing absolute scarcity of water while two-thirds (2/3) will be under water stressed conditions. Figure 2: Graphs reflecting how water consumption is evolving with sector The earth contains less than 3% of the freshwater. This percentage of water is under stress from human activities, agricultural activities, and other non-ocean life. Freshwater is available as groundwater, glaciers, and surface waters in a proportion of 30.1%, 68.6%, and 1.3% respectively. Ground water mainly occurs in the underground aquifers while surface waters consist of water from the lakes, streams, and seas.

Most human populations and other biological organism rely greatly on the surface waters. With the expected continued increase in human population from 6.58 billion to 8.1 billion by 2030 and 9 billion by 2050 is likely to further increase the level of water demand if human activities do not shift from unsustainable to sustainable. According to the United Nations, by 2050 the world population is expected to increase by 3 billion people of whom the developing countries will contribute a greater percentage.

As a result, there is need to develop a method of conserving and recycling water resources. Most countries experiencing water shortage are those within the Sub-Saharan Africa due to unsustainable economic activities. The effect of increased in human population is evident in cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Manila, Mexico City, and Bangkok where aquifer levels dropped between 12 to 53 metres. In China, the decline in aquifer level was due to the drought, which occurred after five decades in 2009.

It is important for countries to ensure a sustainable use of the available environmental resources. A decline in the availability of water does affect not only industrial and human activities, but also environmental problems.

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