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Will water stress lead to the next big war?

Understanding water stress and what can we do to mitigate the crisis

By Roshan KumarPublished 4 years ago 6 min read
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Will water stress lead to the next big war?
Photo by Jeff Ackley on Unsplash

Cape Town 2017-18. The scary episode of Water stress. Reservoirs and dams in the South African western cape were hovering between 15-30% of their capacity. There was a widespread fear of an imminent water-stress induced doomsday, designated as ‘day zero’ when all municipal supply would cease, and people would have to queue up in order to receive their water ration. The administration implemented severe restrictions and penalties and eventually the water level in the dams rose to 70% capacity. The country heaved a sigh of collective relief. But not forever.

Chennai June 2019. Chennai is the fourth-largest urban agglomeration in India (5th by some counts), a major industrial and cultural center, and home to over 11 Mn people.

Four large reservoirs store and help manage the water supply in the region. In June 2019, all lay parched dry after 3 successive failed monsoons (seasonal rains in south Asia). There was no water left to assuage the demand of a large population. The state stepped in with water transported via railways and tankers. A tragedy was averted. However, soon after there was a deluge. The annual monsoon had gone berserk as it arrived. The whole of the region was knee-deep in water, mud, slush, and pollutants. And equally dramatically, monsoons failed for the rest of the season. All that was left was a humongous clean-up task. All in a matter of a month!

Something similar if not as dramatic has happened in large cities across the globe- Rome, Beijing, Bangalore, London, and many more.

World Resources Institute, A Washington DC-based organization has done some spectacular work on this field, and they have produced this amazing interactive map christened Aqueduct, that details regions and sub-regions of the world with various extents of water stress.

Click here to access the interactive map

Water stress is real. As real as the fact that we cannot survive without water.

What’s the root cause of Water Stress?

WRI, as well as many research institutes across the globe attribute it primarily to:

The burgeoning world population

We were less than 2 Bn in 1920. It’s 2020, and we already are nearing 8 Bn! No prizes for guessing where water stress is the highest on average. With the possible exception of deserts, these are all regions with heavy population load- like the Indian subcontinent, China, and even southern Europe.

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/future-population-growth

At any given time, India is estimated to have only 39 days worth of freshwater supplies! Let the magnitude of the problem sink in. WRI says India is the ground zero of Water stress on earth.

Water ‘mismanagement’ as a direct cause of water stress

Water wastage has almost become a way of life in regions that have traditionally not seen the stress at a community level. The state has woken up to this issue much later. Efforts are being made to reduce waste as well as treat all the water- household as well as industrial. However, less than 40% of wastewater is treated in India. And a much lesser percentage is reused. MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) which is the most water-stressed zone in the world, uses barely 18% of its wastewater.

While agriculture is not usually considered as wasting water, it is extremely irrigation intensive in large parts of the world. Thanks to widespread agriculture, the water table in northern Indian plains is said to have reduced by 8 cm per year from 1990-2014, contributing significantly to the ongoing water stress.

Unpredictability in weather patterns induced by climate change

Chennai droughts, followed by flash floods mentioned above are but one example of that. The water table is finding it increasingly difficult to replenish itself.

What are the solutions?

At the global and national levels, governments are working. India has constituted a Jal Shakti (Power of Water) ministry. At the macro level, efforts can be primarily categorized into:

Immediate Term

  1. Better water management via technology, political will and efficient systems and processes.
  2. Improve agricultural efficiency. For example, farmers across geographies are experimenting with drip irrigation. Much more is still needed.
  3. Invest in grey and green infrastructure. Green infrastructure pertains to projects that depend on plants and green ecosystems (for example wetlands for water conservation and water table recharge). Grey infrastructure is engineering projects using concrete and steel (for example water treatment and storage plants).
  4. Treat, Reuse, and Recycle– Water harvesting needs to get out of textbooks and go big on a real scale. Mere lip service won’t work. It should be made part of all new infrastructure work, as well as all new construction (both green and grey). Old construction must be redesigned as far as possible. Delhi metro ensures water harvesting at most of its stations. Green buildings must be the norm rather than a medal going forward.

Longer-term

  1. Desalination of seawater: We know seawater is abundant. But it has been a struggle for the human endeavor to make it fit for consumption and agriculture. We now have the technology. But it’s prohibitively expensive. According to estimates, 100 Mn USD are required to build a desalination plant for a mere 300,000 people. California has done precisely that at some scale, so have many places across the world. But how many nations can afford that for such huge populations? Much government funding and scientific efforts will be needed over the next decades to make this a viable alternative.
  2. New freshwater sources like Aquifers: One of the most exciting discoveries in the last few years has been that of a giant freshwater aquifer off the coast of the northeastern United States. Simply put, it’s a hitherto unknown reservoir of freshwater under-ground. This one is several kilometers below the seabed, trapped beneath a formidable layer of rock and soil. This discovery has sent waves of euphoria in the scientific and policymaking communities across the world, and nations are redoubling efforts to discover more such aquifers in all potential regions, both under the continents and under the sea. However, we don’t know yet, how viably we can extract this water, and what will be the impact on marine biology and the earth’s ecosystem in general. We are treading on tricky ice here. But water stress is real and hope is paramount.

Read more here

Sure governments and science will do their respective jobs. But don’t individuals have a responsibility?

Individuals matter in this war

Wise people have said- ‘Charity begins at home’. And, ‘Be the change you want to see’.

Every little effort counts. What can we do:

By pan xiaozhen on Unsplash

We can save water in everyday situations.

  • That shower feels so amazing. But a bucket wash will do the same job. And at the same time, save at least 2/3rd of the water
  • Eliminate all leaks in water pipes at home
  • Stop using the toilet as a waste bin. Yes that’s a thing

Here is a good compendium on how to save water at home.

Reduce dependence on products that use exceeding amounts of water.

I know it’s easier said than done. Water is used almost universally, across industries. But a bit of conceptual minimalism, coupled with mindfulness can help us reduce our water footprint and thus lessen water stress. Check this amazing website to calculate your water footprint.

Did you know that it takes 15 gallons of water to produce just 16 almonds?Additionally, the new fad of consuming almond milk as a substitute for dairy milk is causing much harm to the environment.

With sustained effort that begins with the individual and scales institutionally, we shall certainly create a better future for generations to come. We shall overcome. This too.

Footnotes:

PS: This article originally appeared on my blog Mapmonday.

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About the Creator

Roshan Kumar

Writer. Digital Marketing Consultant. Entrepreneur.

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