Water crisis: causes, implications and resolutions

Fresh water has always been a rare natural resource in certain dry places of the earth from
time immemorial. However, due to a variety of factors, fresh water shortage has now become
a worldwide concern. This essay will discuss some of the elements that contribute to this
problem, as well as specific methods that can assist national authorities and people in limiting
the rising demand for natural salt-free water.

There are several strong causes for the scarcity of fresh water, including poor water
management that leads to the inability to meet a region’s demand while other places have
access to drinkable water, taking it for granted and overconsuming it. The fundamental cause
for this is urban overcrowding. The worldwide phenomena of urbanization have resulted in
an increase in the global demand for drinkable water. The world population is estimated to
reach 9.73 billion by 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100 (UN, 2019, p.2). Furthermore, in
contemporary times, the increasing usage of salt-free water for activities such as recreational
swimming has catalyzed the increase of demand. Swimming pools at home, water parks, and
resorts, for example, employ an excessive amount of water.

Second, rising contamination of natural fresh water supplies as a result of urbanization and
industrialization has exacerbated this need. The most prevalent source of water contamination
is industrial waste dumped directly into bodies of water. At least one-third of China's
freshwater bodies are unsuitable for human consumption, and 73% of the waterways that
provide water to China's 30 fast-growing cities are polluted to varying degrees (Shemie &
Vigerstol, 2016). Indeed, fresh water in China from rivers and lakes has been progressively
employed in manufacturing operations such as chemical reactions, cleaning hazardous
equipment, and so on since the dawn of industry. Numerous companies have been emitting
harmful chemical substances such as metallic sulfides or cyanides since the beginning of
industry. When hazardous wastes are introduced into lakes, rivers, and oceans, they harm
animals and plants, destroying the environment. Even when industrial trash is buried in the
ground, it can enter the soil and pollute subterranean water, restarting the process. Human
waste is another source of water contamination. Pathogenic bacteria of many kinds reside in
human feces and can cause gastrointestinal illness if they enter the water supply. Meanwhile,
floods may also cause major contamination of local water bodies by moving vast amounts of
dirt, and immediately following a storm surge, waterways may no longer be appropriate for
safe drinking water for a length of time.
In other parts of the world, millions do not have access to water, or, if they do, that water is
not available to be used. About 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but only 3%
of it is freshwater whose 2% is in the form of frozen glaciers unavailable for our
consumption. The remaining 1% clean water for human consumption is even in shorter
supply, leaving millions of people throughout the world in starvation and thirst. There are
many rural regions across the world that suffer from water shortage since they are not close to
a source of water. Desert environments, as well as solitary areas, may lack water supplies.
Some locations are always dry, while others may experience drought on occasion. Droughts
are occurring all throughout the world, and they may significantly reduce groundwater levels,
making it hard for people to draw water from reservoirs, and there was nothing that could be
done to avoid this situation. Another major reason of droughts is global warming. Once our
median air temperature rises, surface water starts to evaporate quicker, ultimately leading to
the drought.

In the near future, if this continues, this rising crisis will pose risks to public health and
safety. In other words, drought conditions jeopardize access to clean drinking water and
irrigation, which is a leading cause of death and some serious diseases. Unless governments
combat this issue immediately, the consequences are going to be catastrophic in the long run.
It is because such an ecological crisis could act as the catalyst to the collapse of the food
chain, which will lead to potential world hunger.

Policymakers throughout developing countries have made significant progress in

implementing environmental protection laws, many of which are explicitly focused against
industrial water pollution and depletion. Despite these attempts, widespread patterns of water
contamination and wasteful water use persist. Furthermore, frequent polluting businesses that
contribute to pollution all over the world are not just water pollutants but also water
consumers, making them actively contribute to both water quality and water shortages. For
example, in Indonesia, the government enacted the 2004 Water Resources Law. Its repeal
means that private enterprises will no longer be able to obtain exclusive rights to water
resources including rivers, springs, lakes, and wetlands. Instead, they can apply for permits
that allow them to use certain amounts of water established by the government. The repeal of
the ordinance might mean that the city's water supply is returned to the public sector, which
could result in reduced water prices, making it cheaper for customers. The law's detractors

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proved that it acted as the catalyst for the privatization and commercialization of water
resources to the detriment of the community. Without additional public investment in the
water network, there are no major alleviations to the crisis. Up to this point, Indonesia has
withstood from uneven water distribution throughout its provinces, with rapid depletion in
some places and excessive availability in others (Assegaf et al., 2019). Due to the low
awareness of water scarcity, citizens in regions with cheap water supply tend to exploit the
resource and show less interest in preservation.

Therefore, transitioning to a circular economy or more sustainable practices need an enabling

environment for industrial transformation (Shemie & Vigerstol, 2016). In order to incentivize
reform, China introduced its first environmental tax law in 2018, which has been proven to be
successful. The new law creates the first national tax scheme in which the pollution tax rate
levied on companies is determined by their respective environmental performance. For
example, if taxpayers’ lower concentration levels by 50% below national and local
requirements, half of the environmental protection fees will be reduced. China's new strategy
includes a step to increase its administrative capabilities in order to successfully implement
this taxation structure (Luo, 2019). The taxes are meant to be channeled to building water
treatment infrastructures as well as weather control, green agriculture and eco-saving
propagandas.

Another approach could be the international collaboration to exchange policies and nano-
bioreactor technologies purify the current polluted waterbodies. For instance, Hanoi, the
capital of Vietnam, has also implemented a number of efforts to resurrect To Lich River,
which is dying owing to excessive pollution and significant muck deposition in the river bed,
including the use of Japanese and German technology. This could be done thanks to the
Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative launched in 2003 to enact a common action plan, common
regulations and to share nano-bioreactor technologies. Initially, these methods produced
beneficial benefits on the river’s water quality which is so pure that the scientists drank and
swam in it for demonstration. In May 2019, the project successfully cleansed pollutants in the
To Lich River and a portion of West Lake using nano-bioreactor technology and an
underground flood-proofing device buried in the river bed to assure overflow stormwater
runoff and prevent inundation. In the near future, more rivers in Vietnam are to be revived,
especially Thi Vai which is heavily polluted by the Japanese MSG manufacturer Ajinomoto
thanks to the stellar performance regarding decreased fouling and optimized contaminant
removal efficiency of nano-bioreactor technology. However, there are stills major concerns
about the expense of large-scale production process of these membranes, their endurance in

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thorough deployments, as well as the likelihood of nanomaterial dispersion in sewage, which
are anticipated to be mitigated in the years to come (Pervez et al., 2020).

The conclusion to be drawn is that because there are several factors leading to this crisis
whose negative impacts are far-reaching, if it is not alleviated by a combination of possible
solutions, the consequences will be disastrous. Governments, private sectors, and individuals
should join forces to enact economic - environmental laws, invent more efficient water
treatment technologies, and apply simple water saving methods.

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 Reference
Assegaf, ., Satwika, K., & Siregar, A. R. (2019, November 13). Wading Through Indonesia's
New Water Resources Law.
  https://www.mondaq.com/water/863448/wading-through-indonesia39s-new-water-
resources-law.
Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf, as a senior member of AHP's Banking & Finance practice,
has contributed to environment protection by helping the government composing
environment laws and evaluating their effects, together with his associates. Their findings on
the inefficiency of Indonesian laws are cited.

Luo, G. (2018, May 9). China Green Tax Law: High-quality Growth. ELEVATE.
https://www.elevatelimited.com/insights/newsletters/chinas-first-green-tax-law-towards-the-
new-normal-of-high-quality-growth/.

The article summaries the successful initiatives done by the Chinese government to
deal with water shortage throughout over 30 regions in China. Taxes and incentive reward-
punishment systems to hold companies accountable for their polluting and exploiting actions
are cited in this essay as evidence for effective ways to tackle water shortage.

Pervez, M. N., Balakrishnan, M., Hasan, S. W., Choo, K., Zhao, Y., Cai, Y., Zarra, T.,
Belgiorno, V., & Naddeo, V. (2020, November 5). A Critical Review On Nanomaterials
Membrane Bioreactor (NMs-MBR) for Wastewater Treatment - Npj Clean Water. npj Clean
Water.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41545-020-00090-2.

A thorough report on the water treatment bio-technology provides information about

the mechanism, theories, practical usage, limitations and possible solutions of nanomaterials
membrane bioreactors, which is cited to clarify how the heavily polluted To Lich River in
Vietnam was revived and treated successfully.

Shemie, D., & Vigerstol, K. (2016, April 29). How Can We Ensure Clean Water for
Everyone. World Economic Forum.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/how-can-we-ensure-clean-water-for-everyone/.
This article aims to provide an overall portrait of the current water crisis situation and
possible solutions being used in both developing and developed nations. Its statistics on water
usability in China and approaches of the government are cited.
United Nations (2019, December). How certain are the United Nations global population
projections? Population Facts. Table 1. Page 2.

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https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/popfacts/PopFacts_201
9-6.pdf
The statistics on population projections by the year 2100 are cited from this brief
about the uncertainty of population forecasts done by the United Nations, assuming a gradual
drop in the global fertility rate.