Water Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Water Crisis - Essay Example o global warming have caused major changes in precipitation globally which has affected the average amount of rainfall in several countries (National Resources Defense Council, 2010). All the above factors are collectively responsible for water constraints across the world. The natural water resources are being constantly depleted due to a combination of several factors such as increased demand, climatic changes and pollution. Rivers and aquifers which are a major source of clean water are being drained constantly. There is increasing withdrawal of water from groundwater, lakes, streams and manmade structures such as dams and water released from other reservoirs. With the annual population growth at 80 million people a year and projection figures indicating an addition of 3 billion people to the world population by the year 2050, the demand for clean and fresh water will see a manifold increase. Reports suggest that a majority of the population growth will occur in developing regions which are already facing water shortage. In addition, advances in science and technology have increased the use of renewable energy resources worldwide. There has been a huge increase in the generation of electricity from hydroelectric power. Other new innovations such as generation of nuclear energy and use fossil fuels for energy purposes have also affected water quantity and quality (The United Nations World Water Report, n.d). Apart from energy production water is also being used for agriculture which utilizes nearly 70% of freshwater withdrawals. The increase in world population has raised the demand for food. Subsequent rise in agricultural practices are using copious quantities of freshwater for growing crops and maintaining plants and trees (The United Nations World Water Report, n.d). Another reason which has posed serious constraints on water supply is the changes observed by scientists in the precipitation rates. This is likely to have a major negative impact on the amount