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The Water Crisis

Brockton Austin
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3

Water: Background 3

How Did We Get Here 4

How to Fix the Major Issues 5

What We Can Do at Home 7

Conclusion 8

Sources 98
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Executive Summary

5,000 children die a day from diseases caused by drinking

contaminated water. 80% of all global diseases are
waterborne. Currently, the world solution to this problem has
been to suck up the water from the ground; which is starting
to ruin the soil and kill our crops. A solution to our problem
is to target what exactly we use clean water for and to more
efficiently use that water. Agriculture is responsible for using
up 70% of the clean water supply. The agriculture industry
currently has no incentive to use water efficiently. Adding
incentives and creating certain regulations would solve the
issue. Specifically, regulating farming methods for certain
crops and providing incentives for growing each crop in the
right climate.

Water

Water is essential to life and having a supply of clean water is becoming more
and more of an issue. In developed countries, having clean water is not an issue
that crosses people's minds. However, in third world countries, having clean
water is an issue that needs to be addressed every day. People who live in
impoverished areas of third world countries have to travel on average 3.75 miles
a day just to get clean water(Handwerk)(Figure 1). Millions of people die each
year, most of them children, from largely preventable disease caused by a lack of
access to clean water and sanitation(Handwerk). For example, about 5,000
children die each day due to preventable diarrhea diseases such as cholera and
dysentery, which is spread when people use contaminated water for cooking or
drinking (Handwerk). The lack of clean water is not the only issue. To
compensate for the lack of clean water, countries have started to get extra clean
water from the groundwater. This has caused another global crisis as now with
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groundwater depleted in those countries, the soil that crops grow on now lack the
necessary hydration. In the United States, California’s Central Valley, the
Colorado River Basin, and the Southern Great Plains(Texas and New Mexico),
all are experiencing extreme groundwater depletion.

Figure 1. Two women walking to get their daily water.

How Did We Get Here

The main causes of this global water crisis is the inefficient use of water in the
agriculture and industrial industries, as well as diplomatic issues. 70% of clean
water in the world is used by the agriculture industry for crops(Strang). This will
only increase as the soil where these crops are grown are stripped of their
groundwater and more water will be needed to keep the soil healthy. Industrial
industries account for 22% of the clean water in the world(Strang). The industrial
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industries use water for fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or

transporting a product. If the water needed for crops must increase then the
industrial use of water will quickly be thrown in the spotlight. Finally, diplomatic
issues are also a reason why some countries lack water resources. Water
sources such as watersheds and aquifers don’t respect political resources and
countries will fight over who’s water supply it is rather than sharing(Handwerk).
This is especially an issue for third world countries as they commonly get
overpowered in these situations due to their lack of development. Domestic use
of water, such as drinking water and taking showers, use the remaining 8% of the
clean drinking water in the world. The average American uses 82 gallons of
water per day; this dwarfs the average amount of water used per day in Africa
which is under 12.5 gallons. If changes are not made in the agriculture industries,
industrial industries, and in our own household; we will see a major decline in
food resources, due to the lack of ground water ruining the soil(Strang). The
world population will continue to grow which will only magnify the consequences
of our inefficient use of water.

Figure 2. Farmer watering her crops.

How to Fix the Major Issues

The simplest solution to the issue at hand is to more efficiently use water in the
agriculture industry(Figure 2). Right now there are few incentives for farmers to
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conserve their water when farming. Everyone likes more money and if farmers
can make more by using less, they would do it. Also, if there were regulations
passed preventing extreme misuse of water; proper enforcement of those
regulations would also go a long way in fixing the issue. Farmers can use far less
water by using drip irrigation for their crops. Drip irrigation(Figure 3) is a method
where pipes with holes in them are placed underground or right next to the crops
themselves and slowly drip water directly onto the individual crops(Strang). Due
to the large percentage of water used in just agriculture, making major changes
in how they use water would likely solve our problem completely. Fighting for
water would be less of an issue if there was enough water to go around.
However, it is unrealistic to think that these regulations would be enforced
properly by every country. With populations rising we would need to find
solutions to lower the industrial industries usage of water as well. These solutions
would be similar to the agriculture industry but not as simple. Similar to the
agriculture industry, the government could add incentives for the industrial
industry to abide by these changes. These changes would include:
● Replacing outdated equipment with energy-efficient alternatives.
Many equipment used in the industrial industry that uses water can be
replaced by “dry” equipment that does not require water. One example is
swapping water-cooled equipment for air-cooled equipment.(Apana)

● Reduce the amount of blowdown water from cooling towers by

maximizing cycles of concentration. Cooling towers use the most water
in the industrial industry. The cooling tower fills up with water and
dissolved solids until it is released and replaced with fresh water.
Monitoring these cycles can greatly improve the efficiency of the towers.
(Apana)

● Reuse water for multiple operations. Water left over from one operation
can be used for another. For example, water used from cleaning can be
filtered and reused for landscaping purposes, or at cooling towers.(Apana)

Right now, the United Nations are constantly trying to develop solutions to solve
the issue at hand. Currently they are two years into a ten year plan to fix the
water issue. Nothing significant has been done yet in those two years but they
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have stayed confident that they will finish their goal. However, if nothing is done,
deaths will continue to mount up and the world food supply will decrease.

Figure 3. Drip irrigation in agriculture.

What We Can Do at Home

Regardless of what happens globally, we can still do these things at home to

help out:

● Take shorter showers

● Take baths
● Install water saving shower heads and toilets
● Use your washing machine when you have full loads only
● Use your dishwasher for full loads only
● Don’t let the tap water run unless you are using it(Figure 4)
● Use mulch around trees and plants
● Plant drought resistant plants in your yard
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Doing these things may not seem like much, but this can have a huge impact on
your community's soil.

Figure 4. Turning off tap water.

Conclusion

Water is a pressing issue that will only get worse as the population grows.
Thousands of people die every day because they don’t have access to clean
water. Big changes need to happen in the agriculture and industrial industries but
passing policies across the world is easier said than done. The solutions for our
issues are definitely doable. It will take some time for these solutions to take into
effect across the world. Once these solutions take effect, it will solve our water
issue for decades to come. If you would like to learn
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Sources

Strang, Veronica. Water: Nature and Culture. Reaktion Books, 2015.

Handwerk, Brian. “Sustainable Earth: Water - National Geographic.”

Environment, National Geographic, 3 May 2021,
www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/water.

“25 Ways to Save Water.” Volusia County Government Online,

www.volusia.org/services/growth-and-resource-management/environmental-
management/natural-resources/water-conservation/25-ways-to-save-water.stml.

“Water Saving Tips For Industry.” Apana, 29 Aug. 2020, www.apana.com/water-

saving-tips-for-industry/.

https://www.the71percent.org/ways-to-save-water/

https://culliganlaoc.com/

https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/-/news/ifad-leads-on-sustainable-farming-on-
world-water-day

https://www.atsirrigation.com/do-you-know-the-6-major-parts-of-a-drip-irrigation-
system/

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-water-developing-world
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