Global Essay Competition 2024

Title: Water scarcity: How dangerous is it and what kind of precautions should be taken?

Essay:

As we know, water is one of the most vital resources to sustain life. Therefore, it is not considered
abstruse to hear "do not forget to drink water every day" advice. The reason for drinking enough water
is to stay hydrated. Approximately 60% of the human body is water, and considering we lose water by
sweating and breathing, we better remember the advice about drinking water. Because if we do, it may
cause dehydration. Dehydration occurs when one does not have enough fluids in the body. According
to "StarPearls Publishing LLC," 75% of Americans have dehydration issues(Kory Taylor, 2020)[6], and
some people think caffeine or different kinds of beverages can replace their daily water needs. Still, they
should know that caffeine causes more water deficiency than reduces it. Even though dehydration is
preventable, in cases of advanced illness, it may cause some severe problems, such as heatstroke,
kidney failure, and even death. 60% of the human body is, and three-quarters of Earth is covered with
water. As we can see, this colorless and odorless substance plays an essential role in each part of our
lives, and clearly, it is impossible to live without water. Sometimes, people living in developed or even
developing countries may forget to consume their daily water needs. In contrast, some people do not
have the luxury to forget about it as they need to walk thousands of kilometers to find water in order to
accomplish basic house chores and drink.
So, after all, a question pops up: Is there a potential water scarcity risk that we need to take
precautions ahead of? If one still dares to ask this question, it is necessary to read this more. The thing
is that water scarcity already has existed for years. Most of us living in developed or developing countries
are unaware of it or do not care much. According to "World Wildlife Fund" data, 1.1 billion people
worldwide do not have access to water. 2.7 billion people have to experience water scarcity at least a
month a year[7]. In order to preserve natural resources and provide prosperity and rights for everyone
in the world, a prominent and influential project named "Sustainable Development Goals" was launched
by the United Nations. Last year, during World Water Day, the United Nations University Institute for
Water Environment and Health(from now on "UNU-INWEH ") conducted an investigation by setting 10
main titles to measure how much improvement 54 countries in Africa showed. The main titles of the
investigation were access to drinking water, access to sanitation, access to hygiene facilities and
practices, per capita water availability, water use efficiency, water infrastructure, wastewater treatment,
water governance, and finally, disaster risk, water dependency on neighboring nations and water
resources variability. Despite "Sustainable Development Goals" showing unique endeavors and efforts,
only 29 African countries showed some progress, and 25 countries showed none(Grace Oluwasanya et
al., 2022). The data received from the investigation also showed Egypt, Botswana, Gabon, Mauritius
and Tunisia are considerably the most water-security countries in Africa, while Somalia, Chad and Niger
are the worst[4]. Regarding the author's words from UNU-INWEH: "Water security level in Africa is
considered low, and no country in the African region can be shown as a model for other ones. It clearly
shows that Sub-Saharan Africa is in a much worse situation than the countries above the Sahara.
However, it should not mean those countries need to relax, and people living in these countries may
leave taps open while brushing their teeth at home. Although when it is said water scarcity, the African
region is the first that comes to one's mind, other regions such as ME(Middle Eastern) countries should
be taken into account and worried about. That is to say, the studies conducted in 2002 predicted future
freshwater availability and population changes. This study openly shows that the water scarcity problem
in Middle Eastern countries is as important as civil war. Furthermore, contrary to the decrease in
freshwater resources in these countries, the increase in population over the years should not be
underestimated. 15 countries were listed in the study, and only Yemen(45% decrease in annual
freshwater availability per capita) showed "best" results, while Lebanon(80% decrease in annual
freshwater availability per capita) could be considered the poorest. When it comes to the other 13
countries, on average, the situation still remains poor.
However, only Oman(50%) besides Yemen could be considered good, while the countries that
might be seen as "partially good" are Iraq(58%), Jordan(59%), Kuwait(56%), Saudi Arabia(52%) and
Sudan1(59%). Poor countries of the study are Bahrain(69%), Libya(63%) and Syria(63%).

1
The study for Sudan covers the years between 2000 and 2030.
The countries that got F grade are Turkey(78%), Iran(75%), Israel(72%), UAE(73%) and
Qatar(76%)(Roudi-Fahimi et al., 2002)[1]. While there are plenty of reasons why Middle Eastern
countries have water famine, the biggest reason might be population growth. According to the same
study, a population growth of approximately 147 million has been noticed (Roud-Fahimi et al., 2002).
Besides Africa and the Middle East, there is also a water shortage in Europe; however, it is less acute
than in the mentioned regions, at least for now. For instance, there are 5 regions in Switzerland: Jura,
Plateau, Alps, Pre-Alps and Southern Alps. Each region is affected by several factors. Snow melt is
the factor that affects the Alp region, and the region has more intense runoff in summer than winter. On
the contrary, the Plateau has more runoff in winter than summer. Current water demands for different
fields in Switzerland can be sorted from high to low in this way: irrigation and drinking water
purposes(1000*106𝑚3) , industry sector(900*106𝑚3 ), livestock feeding(70*106𝑚3 ), tourism(15*106𝑚3)
and snow production(8*106𝑚3 ). Future water demands for the same fields will remain mostly
stable(Manuela I. Brunner et al., 2019)[2].
All in all, there should be a solution or at least a precaution for water scarcity, shouldn't it? Well,
there are some popular methods of saving water. One of them is rainforest harvesting. Rainforest
harvesting is the name of the process of catching, collecting, and storing rainwater. The mechanism of
this process is setting an area on the roof of residential buildings. Then, a conduit connects the roof with
the storage tank. There is a filter device in order to clean and remove dangerous soil particles and then
it is transmitted to another storage tank. Transferring rainwater to the ground using a pit is another way
of harvesting rainwater. The research showed that using rainwater harvesting saves 32.7% of potable
water(Rashidi Mehrabadi, M.H et al., 2013)[5]. Besides these water-saving methods, storage wells can
be used too. The rainwater is usually absorbed by the soil when the drain is used. Using a storage well
in every neighborhood might solve water scarcity. Besides rainwater harvesting, another popular
method is using wastewater for irrigation purposes. There are two types of wastewater: treated and
untreated wastewater. As can be seen from its name, treated wastewater is treated; in other words, it
has been removed from its particles, while untreated wastewater does not undergo any treatment
process. The disadvantage of treated water is its high cost. In fact, the difference between treated and
untreated wastewater is mostly pathogen amounts, while untreated wastewater has plenty. The
utilization of wastewater has increased over the years, and it offers two significant advantages: financial
and environmental. In terms of financial benefits, it saves tabescent freshwater resources and increases
product and output. Regarding environmental advantages, it reduces the water bodies and its harm and
will lead to cheapening in chemical manure.
Another thing is the pollution of water rather than the absence of it. Water pollution is also a big
reason leading to water scarcity. According to research, there is only 1% of accessible freshwater. Oil,
radioactive substances and other dangerous chemicals cause to water pollution. Although rainwater
harvesting and using wastewater for agricultural irrigation are mostly down to governments, fighting
against water pollution is something efficient to do, which we civilians can do. Not pouring fat or grease
directly through sink, instead using a jar to hold all of these hazardous substances and not doing with
detergents the same are one of the most basic and most uncomplicated stuff to do. We also need to
keep in mind that toilets are not a garbage can which we can throw papers and tissues into it. There is
another thing that can save not only water but also electricity: using a washing machine when it is full.
It is not that hard, isn’t it? One may think doing these would not solve water scarcity problem, it would
be true if only one person follows these rules and take the precautions. However, considering that there
are billions of water consumers in the world, these unworkable-looking things are one of the best
precautions to take to save water. Even using a bucket in the shower while waiting for water to get hot
can conserve much water. The government can also arrange an event to conserve water by holding
wastewater. To make it happen, the country or state can be broken down into towns to make the process
easier. Then, the establishments called "Wastewater Collection Center"(WSC) should be built in every
town. All families living in the town would bring the wastewater left from the bath and shower to this
center and even get paid a certain amount of money to get encouraged.
An average person uses 50-150 liters of water per fill while taking a bath and 9 liters per minute
while taking a shower(GWMWater, n.d.)[3]. For example, according to “Water Filter Data”, in the most
populated state of the US, where 38 million people live, in California, the annual water usage for
showering is 211 billion gallons. This data clearly shows how efficient the idea of building WSCs would
be. We need to save the water while we own it, as once it is gone, there will not be anything to own
anymore, and at that stage, we will own nothing but owe our next generation of people a life. If we all
have the responsibility of caring about ourselves and future generations, it would be much easier and
more effective than rainwater harvesting or wastewater utilization. Basic things like turning off the tap
while brushing teeth or shaving would be as effective as other expensive processes. We need to teach
our kids to save water and enlighten people around us about water scarcity. The government should
also arrange campaigns and events often and encourage people to be more sensitive about this topic.

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Let us not forget that water is such a valuable blessing that can replace the word “life”. If we love and
protect our lives from dangerous things, we must do the same for water, too.

Reference List / Bibliography / Sources:

1. Al-Rimmawi, H. (2012). Middle east chronic water problems: Solution prospects. Energy and
Environment Research, 2(1), 29–30. https://doi.org/10.5539/eer.v2n1p28
2. Brunner, M. I., Björnsen Gurung, A., Zappa, M., Zekollari, H., Farinotti, D., & Stähli, M. (2019).
Present and future water scarcity in Switzerland: Potential for alleviation through reservoirs
and Lakes. Science of The Total Environment, 666, 1038–1042.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.169
3. How much water you use? (n.d.). GWMWater. December 27, 2023,
https://www.gwmwater.org.au/conserving-water/saving-water/how-much-water-you-use
4. Oluwasanya, G., Perera, D., Qadir, M., & Smakhtin, V. (2022). (rep.). Water Security in Africa:
A Preliminary Assessment (Ser. 13, pp. 18–30). Hamilton, Canada: UNU Institute for Water,
Environment and Health.
5. Rashidi Mehrabadi, M. H., Saghafian, B., & Haghighi Fashi, F. (2013). Assessment of
residential rainwater harvesting efficiency for meeting non-potable water demands in three
climate conditions. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 73, 86–93.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.01.015
6. Taylor, K. (2022, October 3). Adult dehydration: Treatment & management: Point of care.
StatPearls. https://www.statpearls.com/point-of-care/37754
7. World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Water scarcity. WWF. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-
scarcity

Word Count (essay text only): ( 1775/2100 )

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