YESS ENVIRONMENTAL SECTOR

TGIF Write-up

Topic: Emerging Global Water Shortages

Flow/Structure:

 What is water shortage and what are its causes?

 What is its impact and who is affected?
 Implications of the rising cases of water shortage
 What are the current efforts to combat water shortage?

 For Caption (14 sentences):

Water shortage can be recognized as either physical or economic. When shortage is due to the failure of
freshwater resources to meet both human and environmental demands of a given area, then water
shortage is said to be physical, but if the shortage is brought by either poor management of water
resource or lack of water infrastructure, then the water shortage is said to be economic in nature. The
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), of the United Nations had stated that around 1.2 billion
people live in areas of physical scarcity, while 1.6 billion people suffer the effects of water shortage that
is economic in nature.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), had recognized 3 major causes of global water shortage, and these are
Pollution, which comes from many origins including unsustainable industrial processes and pesticides
used in farming, and there’s also Agriculture as a major cause, which is said to consume 70% of the
world’s accessible water, and finally, there is population growth, with the ever-growing human demands
for fresh water. All these can be heightened by climate change. Continued water shortage entails
drought and the possible disappearance of wetlands. Moreover, the lack of access to freshwater is also
considered a health issue. The World Health Organization has linked insufficient water sanitation to the
spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoid, and these could be remedied if there is enough access
to clean water.

Recently, the shortages of water have become an indication of a global pattern of depletion of ground
water resource, and this is linked to the mining of aquifers for use in agriculture. Moreover, the demand
for water is said to have tripled in the past 50 years due to rising demand to produce wheat. The
demand for water is still expected to rise with population. One implication of poor management of
water resource is that by 2050, there may not be enough water anymore to grow food for an estimated
8-9 billion people.

There are various efforts that are currently being made to combat water shortage, and everyone has the
capacity to help by conserving water. Preservation of wetlands will also greatly help because wetlands
are said to naturally collect and purify water.
  For Publicity Material (7 sentences):

Water shortage can be physical or economic. It becomes physical when shortage is due to the failure of
water resource to meet the demands of both humans and the environment, while it is considered
economic if it roots from poor water resource management.

The World Wildlife Fund recognized 3 causes of global water shortage, which are pollution, agriculture,
and the growing population, and all of their effects are worsened by climate change. Some impacts of
water shortage include drought, disappearance of wetlands, and the spread of diseases brought by lack
of access to clean water. Recently, isolated shortage of water became an indication of a global pattern of
water resource depletion, and it’s expected to rise with the growing demand to produce food, leading to
estimations that by 2050, there may not be enough water anymore to supply the production of food for
over 8-9 billion people.

Various efforts are being made to combat water shortage, and everyone can help by conserving water.
Protecting wetlands will also be beneficial because wetlands are said to naturally collect and purify
water.

 References:

Keller E. A. (March 22, 2011). Introduction to Environmental Geology Fifth Edition. USA: Pearson
Education.

N.A. (November 13, 2017). How People are Resolving to Reduce Water Scarcity. Waterlogic. Retrieved
28, September 2020 at https://www.waterlogicaustralia.com.au/blog/reduce-water-scarcity/

N.A. (June 14, 2019). Sanitation. World Health Organization. Retrieved 28, September 2020 at
https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation

N.A. (n.d.). Water Scarcity. WWF. Retrieved 28, September 2020 at

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity

N.A. (n.d.). Water Scarcity. United Nations. Retrieved 28, September 2020 at
https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml

Petruzzello M. (April 14, 2020). Water Scarcity. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 28, September 2020
at https://www.britannica.com/topic/water-scarcity