Water Scarcity
“The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity.
It is a prerequisite for the realization of all other human rights."
— United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Excerpted in part from UNA-USA’s Global Classrooms
Freshwater
Water is one of the world’s most valuable natural resources, but it is also one of the scarcest. Freshwater
is naturally occurring water that can be found throughout the world. Some types of freshwater resources
are ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams. There are also freshwater resources under the ground, such as
aquifers. Most freshwater comes from precipitation: rain and snow.
Despite all the water in the world, only a small amount of freshwater is available for direct use. The salt
water found in the oceans makes up 97 % of the water on Earth. Most of the remaining 3% is found in
glaciers, ice caps, permafrost, or deep underground. These sources are hard for people to access and use.
The small amount of freshwater that is readily available for people is called “surface freshwater.” It is not
found in equal parts throughout the world. The Americas (North, Central, and South America) have the
largest amount of freshwater and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands) the smallest.
Oceania, though, has a small population, so there is a greater per capita supply. Asia has the lowest per
capita supply of water. By country, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Indonesia, and Russia together have
half the world’s supply of freshwater; northern Africa and the Middle East are the water-poorest.
Water Scarcity
Water scarcity is defined as the point at which the impact of all people in
an area using water negatively affects the supply or quality of water. This
means that at this point, not all needs can be met: needs for drinking
water, needs for a healthy environment, needs for crops to grow, needs
to run a factory, etc. According to the U.N., almost one-fifth of the world’s
population, or 1.2 billion people, lives in areas where water is physically
scarce, and 2.6 billion people lack access to proper sanitation resources.
The Effects of Water Scarcity on Local Populations
When people do not have access to water, they are forced to drink unsafe water, which can increase the
risk of dangerous diseases, like cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. Additionally, during periods of prolonged
drought, particularly in some urban and rural areas of Africa and Asia, many people, in an effort to stave
off famine, use untreated wastewater to irrigate crops, a dangerously unsanitary practice.
Additionally, water-related illnesses are one of the leading causes of death and disease in the world. At
any given time, patients suffering from water-related illnesses fill at least half of the world’s hospital beds.
According to the World Health Organization, 1.8 million children die each year from diarrhea.
Average Water Use in Rich and Poor Countries
Although a person can manage for a few days on a gallon or two a day, a healthy supply of clean water is
about thirteen gallons per person per day. These thirteen gallons are used for drinking (about 1.5 gallons),
sanitation and hygiene (about 5 gallons), bathing (about 3.5 gallons), and cooking (about 3 gallons).
Thirteen gallons a day is not that much water. People in the United States and Canada use, on average,
more than 150 gallons a day. This does not include water used in agriculture and manufacturing. In turn,
the average African family only uses 5 gallons of water each day.
The majority of people lacking access to clean water live on less $2 a day. Many of them live in rural areas
with no running water in their homes. Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting
water from distant, often-polluted sources. Consequently, the primary difference in water accessibility
and consumption is oftentimes wealth.
Other issues that compromise freshwater supply are pollution,
contamination, and waste management. These make water
undrinkable for humans and un-livable for wildlife. Public health
and sanitation projects that teach people good waste
management can help protect the freshwater they do have.
Additionally, governments can also make laws that do not allow
businesses to pollute or contaminate fresh water sources.
A Growing Problem
As the world’s population continues to grow and cities continue to develop, the demand for water will
increase. As a result, the global community must tackle a significant challenge: to distribute the earth’s
water resources in a way that both meets the needs of people and industries and prevents conflicts and
further damage to the environment. In September 2000, 147 world leaders pledged their support for
achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)1. These goals try to help the poorest people in the
world have access to many things that we take for granted: going to school, visiting the doctor when they
are sick, and having clean water to drink. One goal centers on water and pledges to halve the number of
people without sustainable access to basic drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.
In order to make progress toward meeting that goal, the global community needs to address two types of
water scarcity: physical and economic. Physical water scarcity exists in arid or semi-arid parts of the world,
where both droughts and dramatic changes in climate exist. Because many of these regions are also
experiencing significant increases in population, industries, and economic development, the need for
water is especially great. Most countries in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Iraq and Libya, suffer
from acute water shortages. Additionally, large parts of China, India, and Mexico do not have enough
water to meet the needs of their people and industries. Physical water scarcity also exists in regions where
enough water exists but it is overused or mismanaged, leading to shortages.
Economic water scarcity is also a serious concern in parts of the world with plenty of rainfall or freshwater.
Even when water is plentiful, it is still important to conserve it properly, distribute it fairly, and monitor
the quality regularly, to ensure that there is enough for households, industries, and the environment.
Economic water scarcity exists in areas of the world that may have sufficient water supplies but lack the
means, such as money or infrastructure, to utilize this water for drinking, sanitation, and agriculture.
Organizations such as The Water Project work in countries within sub-Saharan Africa, such as Kenya and
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Millennium Development Goals: (1) Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty; (2) Achieve Universal Primary Education; (3)
Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women; (4) Reduce Child Mortality; (5) Improve Maternal Health; (6) Combat HIV/AIDS,
Malaria, and Other Diseases; (7) Ensure Environmental Sustainability; (8) Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Water Scarcity (2015 Briefing Paper) – Page 2
Rwanda, to make safe, clean water more available by building small dams to catch rain water or rain
collection systems to collect rain from rooftops.
Past International Action
In 2006, the U.N. made several recommendations for how the global community can improve both
physical and economic water scarcity. The recommendations include: 1) collecting rainwater for industrial
and domestic purposes, which too often rely on surface water and groundwater; 2) protecting and
restoring ecosystems, such as rivers, wetlands, and forests, that naturally filter, store, and release water;
and 3) creating partnerships between countries to share the management and allocation of water
resources, such as rivers and lakes.
In order to address these recommendations, it is essential for the global community to invest more of its
financial resources in reducing water scarcity. Water and sanitation now receive fewer resources than
ever before. Over the past 10-15 years, countries have contributed a greater proportion of their aid for
developing nations to health and education than to water or sanitation. But investing in water and
sanitation has far-reaching economic benefits, largely because access to clean water improves health,
reduces poverty, and increases productivity. In order to have a positive impact on all aspects of human
health and well-being, the global community will need to begin investing more of its resources in making
clean, safe water a right, not a privilege.
The Challenge
Delegates in this committee must tackle a significant challenge: to distribute the Earth’s water resources
in a way that both meets the needs of people and important industries and also prevents conflicts and
further damage to the environment.
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Questions to Consider
1)
Why is water scarcity a pressing global issue? What risks exist for people who live in areas that lack
adequate access to safe drinking water and/or proper sanitation?
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2) What are some of the challenges involved in making clean, safe water available to a greater
proportion of the people in your country? How can these challenges be addressed?
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3) What are the most important uses of water in your country? Is water used efficiently?
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4) Is there a sufficient supply of clean water within your country’s border in order to sustain all of its
inhabitants? If not, where does your supply of water originate?
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5) What short- and long-term goals can you identify for reducing the proportion of people who lack
access to basic drinking water and proper sanitation?
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6) How will reducing water scarcity help meet the Millennium Development Goals, such as improving
maternal and child health, promoting universal education, and reducing poverty?
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7) How can water scarcity issues occurring outside of your country’s borders have an impact on the
well-being of people living within your country?
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8) Are there any international organizations or regional alliances (with neighboring countries) from
which you would seek support in order to achieve your country’s goals?
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Quick Facts
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According to the U.N., almost one-fifth of the world’s population, or 1.2 billion people, live in areas
where water is physically scarce, and 2.6 billion people lack access to proper sanitation resources.
Although a person can manage for a few days on a gallon or two a day, a healthy supply of clean water
is about thirteen gallons per person per day.
The Americas have the largest amount of freshwater and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, and the
Pacific islands) the smallest. Oceania, though, has a small population, so there is a greater per capita
supply. Asia has the lowest per capita supply of water.
Glossary
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Aquifer: an underground layer of rock or sand that can absorb and hold water.
Arid: having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation.
Conserve: to protect (something, especially an environmentally or culturally important place or
thing) from harm or destruction.
Contamination: the act of contaminating, or of making something dirty or polluted by contact with
something unclean, bad, etc.
Drought: a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain.
Infrastructure: the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads,
and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
Latrine: an outdoor toilet that is usually a hole dug in the ground.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): eight international development goals established by the
U.N. in 2000. These goals range from reducing extreme poverty rates, to halting the spread of
infectious diseases and providing universal primary education for all.
Per capita: for each person; in relation to people taken individually.
Permafrost: a layer of soil that is always frozen in very cold regions of the world.
Pollution: substances that make land, water, air, etc., dirty and not safe or suitable to use.
Rural: in, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town or city.
Sanitation: the process of keeping places free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by removing waste,
trash and garbage, by cleaning streets, etc.
Scarce: very small in amount or number.
Sub-Saharan Africa: geographically, the area of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara
Desert. It contrasts with North Africa, which is considered a part of the Arab world.
Sustainable: able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed; involving methods
that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources.
Waste Management: The collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage, sewage, and waste
Water Scarcity: the lack of sufficient water resources to meet the demands of water use in a region.
Resources
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http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/
http://thewaterproject.org/water_scarcity
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/
http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/watersupply/overview#3
http://www.unwater.org/fileadmin/user_upload/unwater_new/docs/water_and_urbanization.pdf
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