Water Scarcity, Risk, and Vulnerability

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Water Scarcity, Risk, and Vulnerability

• Chapter 4

2
Why Water Scarcity?

• Only 1 of the Earths water is easily
  accessible freshwater 97 is ocean water and 2
  is in ice caps and underwater.
• Water, although infinitely renewable and on Earth
  averages about 1700 cubic meters per person, is
  like wealth, unevenly distributed.
• Water is not easily transferable like oil or
  food. Trade opportunities are scarce.
• Water and population are often mismatched too
  many people living in one area without enough
  available water.
• Water is often on a timed schedule many regions
  depend on monsoons (short rainy seasons) to
  receive rain. Often most of their rain is
  received during this short period skewing
  national averages of rainfall. For example Asia
  receives most of its rain (90 ) in less than 100
  hours.

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Who is Being Affected and What Does the Future
Look Like for Them?

• 700 million people in 43 countries live below
  water stress threshold. The Middle East is the
  worlds most water stressed region.
• Sub-Saharan Africa has the most water stressed
  countries. By 2025 its population of people
  living in water stressed countries will rise from
  30 - 85.
• Since the 70s availability of water has
  stabilized in rich countries, but declined in
  developing countries especially countries with
  dry, arid climates.
• By 2025 the average water availability will be
  500 cubic metres per person in the Middle East
  and more than 90 of the regions population will
  be living in water-scarce countries
• High population countries like China and Inda are
  entering the water-stressed league.

4
Agriculture and Its Affect
Hydrological Debt

• Agriculture is the real victim of water scarcity.
  People have only a minimum basic requirement of
  20-50 litres of water per day. In order to
  produce a a minimum of 3,000 calories of food per
  day, you need 3500 litres of water, roughly 70X
  more.
• It takes more litres of water to produce meat and
  sugar which explains why richer countries (who
  consume more) keep water use high.
• Distribution in a single country can affect the
  amount of water a countrys population gets.

• Hydrological debt refers to the fact that
  countries are using up water beyond its current
  flow and creating a debt of water that cannot
  be sustained as the flow of water is constant.
  (especially in the situation of irrigation and
  argiculture).
• High overuse tends to occur in places heavily
  dependent on irrigated agriculture.
• The real problem isnt not enough water, its
  that there is too much use of water (overuse).
• Another threat to water availability is
  pollution. Pollution decreases the amount of
  water available for human consumption.

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Problems

• Sinking aquifiers
• Ground exploitation benefits some farm holders
  but it increases pumping prices and causes soil
  salinization
• Policy-induced scarcity
• There are electricity subsidies given to
  agricultural farmers that only gives off
  disincentives to conserve water

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5 Elements Needed Across All Countries

• Developing a national strategy
• Adjust water use patterns to water availability,
  taking into account the needs of the environment.
• Cutting perverse subsidies and rethinking water
  pricing.
• Reduce or remove electricity subsidies for
  irrigation. Water must not be treated as a free
  good.

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• Make polluters pay.
• Governments must make sure that industries pay
  for the pollution they cause. It would also give
  incentive to develop new technology and patters
  of intervention.
• Valuing ecological services
• Paying those who have good land management.

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• Regulating ground water extraction
• Combine strategies that monitor local groundwater
  levels and set flexible extractions limits
  accordingly.

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Options and Constraints

• Diverting rivers
• It faces large social and economical costs and
  running up against new environmental barriers.
• Desalinization
• Its major constraint is energy costs, even though
  production costs have fallen through.
• Virtual water
• These countries dont factor in the environmental
  damage being done.

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• Along with virtual water trade, you are also
  importing virtual and actual subsidies.
• Recycling wastewater
• It can cause acute health risks if used with out
  adequate safe guards.

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Regulating Demand for Scarce Resources

• Increasing crop per drop.
• Productivity should be raised and deployed where
  it generates the greatest wealth.
• Even though there new technologies available to
  help the water issue, they are not affordable to
  developing countries.
• Diverting water to higher value-added uses.
• It may generate more wealth, but it will destroy
  the livelihoods of some in the process.

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• Integrated water management.
• Emphasis on managing water allocations within the
  ecological limits of availability, with a premium
  on the 3 Es
• Equity
• Efficiency
• Environmental sustainability

13
Dealing with risk, vulnerability and uncertainty

• Infrastructure Deficit
• Managing uncertainty
• Dealing with climate change
• More adaptation- not just mitigation

14
The way ahead

• International Aid
• Real value of water
• Investing more in water infrastructure