The Water Crisis

True or false: the water on Earth today is the same water that has existed here for 5 billion years.

True

The water crisis encompasses issues of water _____, _____, and _____, driven by a combination of _____ and _____ factors.

Scarcity; quality; access; natural; human

Define water scarcity.

Insufficient available water resources to meet the demands of ecosystems, agriculture, & human populations

Define water quality.

Degradation of water sources due to pollution from industrial, agricultural, & domestic activities

Define inequitable access.

Disparities in the availability of clean & safe water

What are the 5 key drivers of the Water Crisis?

• Climate change

• Population growth & urbanization

• Agriculture

• Pollution

• Weak governance

Describe the situation with the Aral Sea.

• Once 4th largest lake in world

• Between Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan, fed by 2 major river systems

• Dramatic size decrease over past 60 years due to unsustainable water management practices

• Size decrease has had severe ecological, economic, & social consequences

• In 1960s Soviet Union started irrigation projects to boost cotton production, which diverted the rivers & decreased inflow of fresh water to lake

• Now less than 10% of original area, salinity levels increased 10x (100 g/L - saltier than seawater), lake is uninhabitable for most aquatic life

What are the environmental, economic, & social/health consequences of the Aral Sea issue?

• Environmental: loss of biodiversity, desertification, climate alteration

• Economic: collapse of fisheries, decline in agriculture

• Social/health: public health crisis, displacement

What lessons were learned from the Aral Sea crisis?

• Unintended consequences of development

• Importance of integrated water management

• Role of international collaboration

What is the most extracted resource on the planet?

Water

What country makes up 25% of global groundwater withdrawal?

India

Groundwater supports __% of India’s irrigation needs, & is their agriculture backbone.

70

__% of India’s rural drinking water & __% of urban drinking water comes from groundwater.

85, 50

What processes do industries use groundwater for?

Cooling, cleaning, & manufacturing

At what rate is ground water depleting on average per year? What about the areas w/ the steepest declines?

0.4 meters/year, 1-2 meters/year

Out of India’s 700 districts, how many have been classified as “over-exploited” or “critical” by the Central Ground Water Board?

256

What regions in India are most affected due to intensive agriculture & low rainfall?

Northern & western states

What are the 5 causes of India’s ground water crisis?

• Agricultural practices

• Climate change

• Urbanization & population growth

• Over-extraction

• Pollution

What are the environmental, economic, & social/health consequences of India’s groundwater issue?

• Environmental: land subsidence, reduced base flow, loss of biodiversity

• Economic: increased cost to farmers, decline in agriculture

• Social/heal: public heath crisis, conflict

What are some efforts being done to mitigate the Aral Sea crisis?

Kazakhstan’s Kok-Aral Dam Project to restore the North Aral Sea & more sustainable water management (improve irrigation efficiency, better transboundary water management)

What is needed to solve India’s groundwater crisis?

• Rainwater harvesting

• Technology/innovation

• Community participation

• Improved agricultural practices

• Regulation/governance

• Policy reforms

Where is 69% of the world’s freshwater stored?

In glaciers

What are glaciers?

Massive, slow-moving ice bodies formed over centuries from compacted snow

On average, how many gigatons of ice have global glaciers lost per year over the past 2 decades? What regions have experienced accelerated melting?

267; Himalayas, Andes, Alps, & Arctic

The Himalayan glaciers (sometimes referred to as “Third Pole”) feed __ major river system & provide water for __ ______ people in South Asia & China.

10; 1.6 billion

What are the short term & long term effects of the Himalayan glaciers melting?

• Short term: increase river discharge, raising flood risk, & glacial lake outburst floods

• Long term: decreased runoff leading to water shortages & scarcity

What are the environmental, economic, & social/health consequences of the Glacial melting issue?

• Environmental: reduced water flow, loss of biodiversity

• Economic: decline in & loss of agriculture

• Social: reduction in energy generation, conflict