Water is a precious natural resource. In chemical science, it is defined by the
formula H2O which means water contains one oxygen and two hydrogen on its molecular
structure. Water can be seen in three forms of liquid, solid (Ice) and water vapor.
Water is essential for the survival of all species on the earth. All functions of
the human body entirely depend upon the water resource and it constitutes 70% of
our body. We can survive more than a month without food, but no one survives a week
without water. We would like to believe there is an infinite supply of water on
the planet. But the assumption is tragically false. In fact available freshwater
represents less than half of 1% of the world’s total water stock. The rest
is seawater, or inaccessible in ice caps, groundwater and soil (Figure 1). And supply
of this is finite. Most disturbingly, we are diverting, polluting and depleting
that finite source of freshwater at an astonishing rate. UN argues that 31 countries
are facing the water stress and scarcity and over one billion people lack adequate
access to clean drinking water. By the year 2025, as much as two-thirds of the world’s
population—predicted to have expanded by an additional 2.6 billion people—will
be living in conditions of serious water shortage and one-third will be living in
conditions of absolute water scarcity. Groundwater over-pumping and aquifer depletion
are now serious problems in the world’s most intensive agricultural areas. In the US, the High Plains Ogallala aquifer, stretching some
800 miles (1,300 km) from the Texas panhandle to South Dakota, is being depleted
eight times faster than nature can replenish it. The water table under California’s
San Joaquin valley has dropped nearly 10 meters in some spots within the last 50
years. Twenty-one percent of irrigation in the US is achieved by pumping groundwater
at rates that exceed the water’s ability to recharge (and most water used
for irrigation cannot be recycled). Global warming caused by the burning of fossil
fuels is being blamed for an alarming increase in the melting rate of glaciers in
Western Canada, leaving less water for drinking, crop irrigation and other uses.
Desalination is a proven path to drinking water and is already common in the Middle
East and Mediterranean regions. The failure of rain at Eastern Africa is trapping
the millions of people at a large risk. The continuous failure of rain in this region
is leading the people to a global food security crisis which is marked by a sharp
contraction in food supply due to lack adequate water resources. Therefore, the
rain harvesting is incapable for Africans due to the failure of rain in these regions.
The island nation Singapore mostly depends on its neighbor Malaysia for its water
supply. Singapore has its own water reservoirs which have been hit by the bad weather
phenomenon. The government takes strong policies such as ‘symbolic water rationing
exercise’ to save the water in the nation. Singapore has built a high-tech
waste water recycling plant which supplies some of the city state’s drinking
water. The water shortage compounded by the global warming can have a negative impact
on the living condition of the people in Bangladesh. The growing population and
the failure of improving the water supply adversely affect the social development
of this poor nation. Rainwater harvesting on the rooftop can be a possible alternative
solution to acute water crisis in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Another water conservation
solution may be to cultivate crops that require less water to grow and produce.
In India, the water crisis is a man made creation, because the mismanagement of
water resources is common in the country. The groundwater resource is the most important
source of water in the country. The people of India use 230 cu km groundwater per
year. It is also found that the country has been using the 25% of the world’s
total use of groundwater.1 The groundwater resource has been exploited by the over-pumping
and pollution in the nation. The major cities of the country face a serious water
crisis due to the rapid industrialization and this has led to a water demand from
various sides. Thus, the over-pumping and increasing the privatization of water
services are big threats to ‘safe water’ policy in India. The world
bank predicts that if India is exploiting the groundwater resource mercilessly,
she will lose 60% of all aquifers within 20 years. In India, huge level of groundwater
resources has been reported from major states like Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. World Health Organization finds that more than 17% of
children have waterborne diseases in developing countries like India. In Latin American
countries, the overuse and pollution of water has damaged the urban water supply.
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