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Water Shortage

Alfarouk Akili

Introduction

A drought is defined as a period that is characterized by precipitation below the normal range. Low precipitation may lead to decreased soil moisture, reduced groundwater, water shortage, diminished streamflow, and crop damage. When there is prolonged drought, it results in a water shortage. Water shortage or scarcity is a lack of enough water to meet the available water demand in a given area. One of the geographical areas that are impacted by water shortage in the US is California. That has adverse effects on the community in general. In this paper, problems that are caused by water shortage in the community and applicable solutions will be discussed in great detail.

Problems

Numerous problems have been caused by a water shortage that affects the community. Water is life; thus, the lack of water leads to a lot of activities stopping. Only about 3% of the world constitutes freshwater, which is used in day-to-day activities. The availability of water enables different activities to be conducted. Therefore lack of water or water scarcity may lead to a lot of activities to stop.

First and foremost, water shortage affects the agricultural sector (Kuwayama et al., 2019). For food to be grown, water is one of the required components. Agriculture uses more water than any other sector in the world. Some people practice agriculture in wet areas, whereas others use irrigation for farming their produce. When there is a water shortage, it threatens agriculture. With the increase in the world’s population, there is a need for more agricultural produce. When water shortages strike, the agricultural sector is affected adversely.

Some ethics guide irrigation use of water. For instance, when using water for irrigation, public health must be upheld. That means that the farmers should not release water with chemicals from the farms to water catchment areas. That is because it will lead to water pollution, thus becoming unsuitable for human consumption and other uses. Additionally, the farmers should promote the best practice when using water fro agricultural purposes (Kuwayama et al., 2019). They should practice cost-effective agricultural designs, maintenance, management, and installation to save on water.

There are professional responsibilities involved in agriculture. Some agricultural officers should guide and teach farmers how to conduct effective irrigation and water use in agriculture. Moreover, some engineers and technicians are responsible for ensuring constant water supply to be used in agriculture for irrigation purposes. They ensure that the systems are maintained, and they are effective and efficient.

Water shortage poses a threat to food security. A large percentage of the food that people consume is from the farm. Additionally, some of the processed food has some of their ingredients planted. Therefore, water shortage affects agriculture; it poses a threat to food security. Water scarcity leads to less agricultural produce, thus resulting in food shortage. There are government organizations that are tasked with ensuring that there is food security. In case they speculate a food shortage in the future, they should come up with ways to mitigate such an event (Rodriguez et al., 2015).

Consequently, some ethics should be followed. Regulations and policies should be put in place to ensure that people do not hoard food. In speculated events of food shortage, people tend to hoard food. Additionally, the food that is stored should be verified to ensure that it has the required quality.

Water shortage also affects the economy. Many people depend on agriculture as their source of income. Additionally, water consumption contributes to the consumption budget of a household. Water is also used in industries and for other mechanical uses such as cooling of machinery. Therefore, water shortage may lead to reduced income among some people. Those that depend on water for agriculture and business will be affected negatively. Alternatively, industries may not produce as much as they should because of the high cost of coolants. That reduces the aggregate products and services produced in a certain location, thus negatively affecting the economy. Additionally, a reduction in the consumption variable also affects the economy of a country or area negatively. When there s decreased productivity due to water shortage, the government may also lose some income paid in taxes.

Water shortage also affects public health. Water scarcity presents a major obstacle to public health and its development. According to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund, more than 1.1 billion people in the world have no access to a water supply. Additionally, another 2.6 billion people lack proper sanitation due to water scarcity (Shrestha et al., 2017). That has resulted in more than 1.6 million deaths annually due to inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene, and lack of access to safe drinking water. Water shortage may lead to poor sanitation, causing water-borne diseases as people do not have access to clean drinking water.

Solutions

Since water shortage and scarcity negatively affect the community, solutions to mitigate the problem need to be formulated. To ensure that the solutions bear the desired results, there should be ethicality and professional responsibilities assigned. To begin with, the relevant water authorities should come up with regulations and policies that avoid water wastage. Guidelines that show how water should be used for various activities that should be implemented. For instance, in Silicon Valley, California, people are not supposed to use water resulting in runway such as using hose pipes in car wash businesses. That will ensure that people use water appropriately and minimize water wastage, especially in drought-prone areas. Droughts can not be avoided, but they can ensure enough water stored to maintain water supply during drought periods.

Also, more water storage stations should be constructed. That will ensure that more water is stored compared to the current capacity. When a drought arises, there will be water to be used for some time. Additionally, campaigns to preserve water catchment areas should be conducted. They should also focus on the prevention of pollution of water. That will ensure that more people have access to clean water.

The relevant authorities should also use the data collected to predict instances of drought in the future. With such information, they may create awareness to the public. That will give people ample time to plan themselves. It will also ensure that enough food is stored to mitigate the problem of food security. The government should also come up with a drought contingency plan. Areas that suffer from drought should be used for economic activities that do not need a lot of water. That will ensure that wet areas have more agricultural activities and other activities that require a lot of water. They should also come up with a recycling plant which will help to add the water supply.

In a nutshell, droughts have caused water shortages in various places in the world, such as in California. Water is significant in human life, and when it is scarce, it may result in numerous problems. Water scarcity may affect agriculture negatively, affect food security, lead to negative growth of the economy, and affect public health and development adversely. According to Barreau et al. (2017), water shortage is a large problem that can face humankind. Professionals in the agriculture and water departments have roles to play to ensure that there is constant water supply. They should come up with policies that depict how water should be used effectively to avoid water wastage. Engineers and other technicians should also be consulted on building cost-effective and efficient water systems that guarantee water supply.

References

Barreau, T., Conway, D., Haught, K., Jackson, R., Kreutzer, R., Lockman, A., Minnick, S., Roisman, R., Rozell, D., Smorodinsky, S., Tafoya, D., and Wilken, J. A. (2017). Physical, Mental, and Financial Impacts From Drought in Two California Counties, 2015. American Journal of Public Health, 107(5), 783–790. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303695

Kuwayama, Y., Thompson, A., Bernknopf, R., Zaitchik, B., and Vail, P. (2019). Estimating the Impact of Drought on Agriculture Using the U.S. Drought Monitor. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 101(1), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajae/aay037

Rodriguez, L., Horowitz, M., Espinoza, D., Aguilera, A., and de la Torre, A. (2015). The Impact of the California Drought on Food Security among Rural Families of Mexican Origin. Journal of Applied Research on Children, 6(2).

Shrestha, A., Sharma, S., Gerold, J., Erismann, S., Sagar, S., Koju, R., ... & Cissé, G. (2017). Water quality, sanitation, and hygiene conditions in schools and households in Dolakha and Ramechhap districts, Nepal: results from a cross-sectional survey. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(1), 89.