Derham 1

Mark Derham

Professor Jessie B. Powell

English 102

28 November 2008

Water Consumption: A Hidden Crisis?

There is a situation that is continuing to worsen every day, and many people

have never even heard of the problem. It affects four out of every ten people, and every

single continent in the world (WHO). This crisis is water scarcity and how the world

continues to over consume water. Currently, countries in North Africa and most of the

Middle East as well as parts of the United States, Europe, South America, India and

China are feeling the effects of the water shortage (Rogers). In some of these countries,

there is an actual physical shortage while in others it is more of an economic water

shortage. The World Health Organization stated that “by 2025, nearly two billion people

will be living in countries or regions with absolute water shortage” (WHO). This means

these people will not have enough water to stay healthy. The situation continues to

decline as populations worldwide rapidly increase and more and more water is used

both domestically and industrially (WHO). The situation must be addressed, and it must

be addressed immediately otherwise everyone everywhere will begin to suffer even

more so than they already are.

The issue of water scarcity will not fix itself. There are several issues that need to

be resolved, both in the short term and in the long term. The first step that needs to be

taken is to fix the current government policies that are further exasperating the situation.

Most countries have a national strategy to address water concerns, but they are usually
 Derham 2

poorly managed and lack cohesion (Oxford). In the short term, individuals need to make

an effort to consume less water. Additionally, agricultural industries must strive to be

much more efficient with their water usage. In the long term, cutting edge technology

must be discovered. Government policy must improve, and international coordination is

a necessity. Many of these proposals are easy to accomplish and require minimal

money to do so.

Current government policies worldwide are lacking when it comes to water

management. For example, the United States has over twenty agencies that deal with

water from flood control to coastal commissions. These agencies rarely coordinate their

policies making concerted solutions very difficult (Oxford). The solution is simple. Stop

fragmenting water management among multiple sectors and institutions. Governments

currently depend too much on centralized administration in order to control the policies

that develop, operate and maintain water systems (Hinrichsen). This must be fixed.

Centralized command and decentralized control must be implemented in order to

operate water systems effectively.

In order for government policy to be righted, governments must first recognize

the value of freshwater as a resource and price it at its value (Hinrichsen). If freshwater

is undervalued, it will continue to be taken for granted, and it will continue to be abused.

The undervaluing of water also means that the quality of water in relation to human

health is being over looked. This will also require government water management

policies to improve. The health of a nation must be the first priority when it comes to

water management.
 Derham 3

While government policies are being righted, there are several short term

solutions that can be addressed that will improve water conservation efforts. The first

solution is local government policy that restricts the amount of water that citizens can

use. There are many techniques that can be used to save water that are easy to

implement, and they will be discussed further down. Agriculturally speaking, there are

several solutions that will solve the overuse of water. Farmers must learn to utilize

green water, that is rainfall water that can be taken up by plant roots, on a daily basis

instead of using freshwater (Oxford). There are some simple and low tech ways of going

about using green water. They are harvesting rainwater; planting roots deeper; better

terracing, which is the process of making slopes into steps; and switching from plowing

to tilling (Oxford). To go even a step further, farmers can improve their irrigation and

reuse urban wastewater (Hinrichsen). These solutions will increase the efficiencies of

farms and decrease their overall dependency on the world’s supply of freshwater.

The long term solutions are the key to ensure that there is freshwater for

generation after generation. The first long term solution is to ensure there is

international coordination in order to manage shared water resources. The majority of

the world’s main water resources are shared between two or more countries

(Hinrichsen). This means that there is always the possible of conflict that will result in

water production to decrease. The only way to mitigate this is to ensure that there is

international coordination. The second long term solution is by far the most important.

Cutting-edge technology for water purification must be developed in order to combat the

crisis that will surely continue to slide ever downward (Hinrichsen). Over 75% of the
 Derham 4

world is covered in water; most of this water is unusable. Technology must advance in

order to harvest this unusable water and raise the current level of usable water.

Individual citizens need not worry about all of the political and scientific aspect of

the water crisis. There are many water saving tips that can be done around the house

that will lower ones overall water usage. They are not only easy to implement, but they

will save a bundle on water bills. One can turn off the water while brushing the teeth.

Taking shorter showers can significantly reduce water consumption as well as not

taking baths. Only wash full loads of laundry, and only turn on the dishwasher when it is

completely full. Instead of washing off the steps and drive-way, sweep them off. Wash

the car by using a bucket of water, and when it is necessary to use a hose, control the

flow with an automatic shutoff nozzle (US EPA).

There are a few tips that cost money that can also save water around the house.

The first thing is to buy an efficient washing machine and dual washing toilets that allow

you to flush the toilet based on what the toilet was used for (US EPA). One can also use

collected rainwater for landscape irrigation. Employing low-flow faucet aerators and

shower heads also reduce overall water consumption (Schwikert). These tips combined

with the free tips will reduce a household’s water consumption by thousands of gallons

per year.

Water consumption is an issue that must be addressed at every possible level

from the individual citizen to the serious farmer to the largest industrial companies. This

is not a problem that will fix itself over time. The world must be proactive when tackling

this problem and not reactive once it is too late. Government policy must be corrected,

so that water management efficiencies increase. The agricultural industry must improve
 Derham 5

the use of green water in order to use less freshwater. Individuals must also realize that

they can impact this issue as well. Utilizing less water around the house is not only

beneficial for the world, but it helps save money as well. It is time that the world realizes

that there is a water scarcity problem, and action must be taken to correct it.
 Derham 6

Works Cited

World Health Organization. 4 June 2008. World Health Organization. 31 Oct. 2008

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/water/en/index.html.

Rogers, Peter. "Facing the Freshwater CRISIS. (Cover story)." Scientific American 299.2 (Aug.

2008): 46-53. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. APUS Online Library. 22 Nov. 2008

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=aph&AN=33021901&site=ehost-live.

Oxford Analytica. “Water policy coordination needed.” International Herald Tribune. 24

July 2008. 31 Oct 2008 http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/24/healthscience/24oxan-

CLIMATE.php.

Hinrichsen, Don, Robey, Bryant, and Upadhyay, Ushma. “Solutions for a Water-Short

World.” Population Reports. Volume XXVI, Number 1. 31 Oct. 2008

http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/m14/m14print.shtml.

United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water. June 2002. U.S. EPA.

31 Oct. 2008 http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/water-use/using-water-wisely-

epa.pdf.

Schwikert, Shane, Hall, Alex, and Jen, Mike. “Water Scarcity: Tomorrow's Problem.”

University of Michigan. 02 Nov. 2008.

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section9group6/solutions.
Derham 7