This blog will tell you about Water Scarcity. This blog will help you understand the term Water Scarcity. It will also help you to learn the major causes of Water Scarcity. Then it will discuss the Effects of Water Scarcity. It will also explain you the Types of Water Scarcity. At the end, It will elaborate the Solutions for Water Scarcity in detail. This blog contains Causes, Effects, Types and Solutions of Water Scarcity with explanation.
1. Meaning of Water Scarcity:
Water scarcity is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. This is basically the deficiency of water in a region. Water scarcity leads to many environmental problems and cause damage to natural environment.
It means that fresh water resources in a country or region are not satisfying the consumption of water in that region thus disturbing the environment.
Water scarcity is causing very bad effects on agricultural practices, domestic and commercial needs of fresh water and automatically disturbing the ecosystem and biodiversity of that region. Because all the living organisms depend on availability of water and many have water as vital part of their environment.
Water scarcity effect the fertility of the soil and make that soil barren. So, it is difficult to fulfil the needs of water and food for growing population. This lead to drought conditions and there is disturbance in natural environment and food supply.
When we talk about water scarcity in Pakistan, we see that Pakistan is a rich country in the case of resources i.e. natural resources, water and food. But in last few decades over-exploitation of the natural resources have made Pakistan a water scarce country and natural environment is deteriorated. That means the fresh water available in the country is not enough for the consumption of the population. In this blog, we will discuss the causes and effects of water scarcity in Pakistan.
2. Causes of Water scarcity:
Following are some of the reasons for the causes of water scarcity in Pakistan:
● Destruction of wetlands:
It is a big reason behind freshwater and groundwater supply issues. Destruction of wetlands cause damage to habitats and natural environments of biodiversity. Because wetlands are natural water purifiers. It can cause destruction because humans are occupying most of the land. Total area of wetlands in Pakistan is 1343807 ha.
● Water Pollution:
Water pollution play a great role in destruction of water resources. Water pollution can be in the form of heavy metals, industrial effluents, fertilizers, domestic wastes, sewage etc. In this way most of the water found in the environment is not able to be used.
● Wastage of water:
A large amount of water is wasted every day for domestic, industrial and washing purposes. In this way the supply of clean water available to us is being less with relation to the population. Most environmental damage is caused by wastage of water.
● Less facilities for water cleaning purposes:
As we have studied that only 8% polluted water is treated for use other all water is wasted. We don’t have latest technologies for filtration and cleaning of water. In this way water is taken from water resources and then after use it is wasted. By using latest technology, we can reuse water and conserve our water resources and it may lead to improvement in the environment.
● Non-sustainable use of Water:
Another reason of water destruction is that we use water without establishing resources of water for our future generation. There will be great level scarcity of water in Pakistan in future. We must take care of our water resources environment to make it better for our future generations.
All of these reasons are the main causes of water scarcity in Pakistan.
3. Effects of Water Scarcity:
Following are some effects of Water Scarcity:
● Less water for domestic use
In the condition of water scarcity the needs of domestic use water is not fulfilled by the available amount of water. People use polluted water from the open environment.
● Cause Economic Decline
Many economic processes and manufacturing depends upon water availability. When there is water scarcity in a country, there can be economic decline because of less goods production and food items in the market. With the economic decline, it can also cause environmental damage.
● Lower Sanitary Conditions
When population will not have enough water for better sanitation, the overall sanitary conditions will be disturbed and people will get sick because of unhygienic lifestyle. This will directly pollute their environment in which they live.
● Excessive use of Contaminated water
When clean water will not be available, people will use contaminated water for domestic and sanitation procedures. This will lead them towards diseases and disorders. Other environmental issues will also be seen.
● Use of Contaminated water for Irrigation
In the condition of water scarcity, people have to use contaminated water for irrigation purposes. This cause the growth of contaminated vegetables and fruits. In this way, the eatables are very bad for health and will eventually destroy the natural environment of crop lands.
● Water borne Diseases
Water scarcity is a great cause of water borne diseases, because people use water from any place where it is available. This water may contain heavy metals, pollutants, toxins and much more that may destroy natural aquatic environment. These things can cause diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, jaundice and many other water borne diseases when used by humans and animals for sanitation or in food.
4. Types of Water Scarcity:
There are two types of Water Scarcity:
● Economic Water Scarcity:
Economic Water Scarcity is the condition in which the water present in the region is adequate for the population in that region, but is not available for them due to lack of investment in water infrastructure. In this situation there are no funds to utilize in water systems to make it available for the population. This type of water scarcity relies on the issues regarding investments that is why it is called as Economic Water Scarcity.
● Physical Water Scarcity:
Physical water scarcity can be defined as the exceeding of population than the available water resources in a region. This is the shortage of water in which natural water resources that are available to people are not enough for the population in that region. This water scarcity is not related to economic issues but it is related with the available amount of water in a region. It is because of exponential growth of population, so as the water resources becomes short for them.
These are the two types of Water Scarcity.
5. Solutions of Water Scarcity:
Following are some of the solutions for Water Scarcity:
Rain-water Harvesting:
Rain-water harvesting is the process of collecting rain water on the roofs or in the pipes in order to use it for domestic and sanitation purposes. This technique is best in the condition of water scarcity.
Wastewater Treatment:
Most of the water pollute and is not able to use. The best way to overcome water scarcity, is to treat the polluted or unsafe water and then use it for different purposes such as irrigation, sanitation and much more.
Efficient Irrigation Practices:
Canal system and tube-wells consume a huge amount of water. We should use efficient irrigation practices such as sprinkler and drip irrigation to deal with water scarcity.
Proper Water Infrastructure:
In most of the cases, water scarcity is caused because of weak water infrastructure or if infrastructure of water is left without maintenance. To conserve water, the water infrastructure i.e. water bodies, dams, wetlands etc. we should monitor and maintain it properly.
Drought Resilient Crops:
Growth of food demands a lot of water. In order to withstand with water scarcity, we can introduce more drought resilient crops to grow even in very low moisture. This will help us to deal with enough supply of food for consumers.
Pollution Control:
To deal with water scarcity or water deficiency, we should work on the pollution control to save the fresh water for human’s use. This will help us to make maximum amount of freshwater available for humans and other consumers.
5. Conclusion:
Water scarcity is a serious problem in the developing countries. It is basically the deficiency of fresh water reservoirs that are not enough for population of the country. Pakistan has become water scarce in past few years. This is causing bad effects on the population by disturbing them in the irrigation processes, sanitation processes and economic development. Water scarcity also effects the environment of the region in every possible way. The best way to fight with water scarcity is the development and conservation of wetlands, sustainable use of water and Blue revolution (growth of global aquaculture production to conserve water). This blog contains Causes
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