Water Scarcity

Water Scarcity

By Dr. Arvind Kumar

We take it for granted; we waste it and even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles.

And still, today, nearly 1 billion people in the developing world don’t have access to it. Clean, safe drinking water is scarce. It is the foundation of life, a basic human need. Yet today, all around the world, far too many people spend their entire day searching for it. The importance of access to clean water cannot be overstated. Simply put, water scarcity is either the lack of enough water (quantity) or lack of access to safe water (quality). It is hard for most of us to imagine that clean, safe water is not something that can be taken for granted. But, in the developing world, finding a reliable source of safe water is often time consuming and expensive. This is known as economic scarcity. Water can be found… it simply requires more resources to do it. In other areas the lack of water is a more profound problem. There simply isn`t enough. That is known as physical scarcity. The problem of water scarcity is a growing one. As more people put ever increasing demands on limited supplies, the cost and effort to build or even maintain access to water will increase. And water `s importance to political and social stability will only grow with the crisis. Clean water changes lives. Girls return to schools. Women begin small businesses. Men are no longer sick to work. Fields are watered and food supply becomes more reliable. Health returns and children grow up to be productive members of their community. The cycle of poverty is broken. Lives change….

“When water comes… everything changes.” And we see the change every time a new well brings clean water.

Clean water isn`t an end, it`s a means.