Is Water Become a Scarce Resource?

Water is an essential resource for life and good health. As water-rich countries take daily showers, water the lawn or relax in the pool. It is easy to forget that fresh water is a life-or-death issue in many parts of the world today. Many people take water as an endless resource but it so occurs that poverty has overcome wealth and countries all around the world have now been affected by water scarcity. This essay will give the arguments regarding the truth that water is becoming a scarce resource and this vital supply will vanish, if we don't do anything about it.

One of the arguments is that population growth is responsible to the water shortage crisis. The problem is becoming more and more severe as population grows. "In the 20th Century, world population increased threefold, and the demand for water increased sevenfold" (The Planet Watch, Sonia Raul, 2003, Page 29). Because the world population grows year by year, this concludes to more humans needing water. The world population is now roughly 6.9 billion, however, Research shows that by 2050, another 3 billion to the population will be added on and humans will need an 80 percent increase in water supplies just to feed ever-increasing number of mouths. This means that if there is enough water for 6 billion humans, no one really knows where this water is going to come from to feed the 4 billion more remaining.

Secondly, this water crisis is not only for the cause of population growth, nevertheless water-rich countries wasting water is blamable for the water shortage. Wealthy nations are, in fact the greater water exploiters. These countries use water wastefully and they also consume water invisibly in industrial production. For example, through the production of one single car, it takes 400,000 litres of water. Also in urban places like in the inner-cities and towns, water-rich households are becoming the leaders in using water irresponsibly for many people waste water doing their daily chores because they can obtain it easily merely by turning on the tap.

Limitation of our use of water is part of the solution because money alone is not the answer to the scarcity and shortage of water. Household citizens need to enforce water efficient appliances. For example, they need buy water tanks to catch rain water because even the rivers will gradually dry out. They also need to follow water restriction.

Lastly, There has also been a lack of the political commitment by governments worldwide to deal with the water problem. Therefore, water must be recognized as a crisis issue and solutions to the crisis should be at the top of the global and national agendas. The United Nations Educational, scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Koichiro Matsuura is quoted as saying "Of all the social and natural crises we humans face, the water crises in the one that lies at the heart of our survival