Emerging Water Problems

The core problem is simple: the amount of water available for each person is shrinking every day. This is not just because there is less water on Earth, but because the number of people using it keeps growing. At the same time, the water that is available is being spoiled.

Why is usable water becoming scarce?

Two main forces are working together to create this crisis:

• Rising population: As the population increases, the same volume of water must be shared among more people. This directly reduces the per capita availability of water — the amount of water available per person per year. This is the most fundamental driver of water scarcity.

• Pollution of existing resources: The water that does exist is being contaminated by waste from three major sources:

  • Industrial effluents: Chemicals and waste discharged by factories.
  • Agricultural effluents: Runoff containing fertilisers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms.
  • Domestic effluents: Sewage and household waste water. …