Water scarcity is a global problem that affects several places and regions around the globe. The phenomenon of water scarcity is hitting drier places hard . The impacts of water scarcity in these places have been severe. For example, impacts of water scarcity include crop failure, lack of food and extended starvation amongst populations and death due to waterborne disease in places where water scarcity forces people to consume dirty water. It is on these backgrounds that several individuals, community based organizations, non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and government agencies have put together concerted efforts to address the challenge of water scarcity. Several solutions have been devised some working in other areas while not applicable in others. For example in Doha Qatar, the chairperson of Qatar’s National Food Security Programme Mr. Fahad Al-Attiya mentions some of the solutions that have worked in Doha which includes desalination of ocean water, change of diet and use of solar generated electricity to pump water from deep underground aquifers . Mr. Al-Attiya notes that Doha receives enough annual supply of sunlight, which could be translated into electricity because of the advantage that solar energy is a renewable form of energy . The electricity from solar finds use in pumping of water from underground water and further pumping it for agricultural and domestic use . The authorities of Doha are also investing in research and development to continue innovating and discovering better ways of accessing water and possibly improve the best practices they are already carrying out . The other strategy Doha authorities are effecting includes enacting polices geared towards water availability and accessibility .
Luckily, a good number of the solutions undertaken in Doha can find application in other countries and regions experiencing water scarcity. For example, policy guidance enables the development of policies that would appropriately help people to access water in those places. The sun is available to almost all the regions of the world even if the concentration differs from one region to another. Different technologies can be used to harness even the little amount of sunshine that some of the regions receive to solar generated electricity that can be used not only to draw water from natural underground reservoirs but also use it to distribute it to their populations through electric pumping. Different regions can also invest in research and development to identify the best solutions to the water scarcity that is affecting their regions. For example, regions with a lot of water though contaminated by dirt can treat it using wastewater treatment technologies . However, regions, which are landlocked and have no access to the ocean, may not find the technology of desalination applicable.
The best approach to mitigate on water scarcity is through research and development. Through research, people are able to understand which solutions are more applicable in their situations or localities. After these solutions have been devised, policy can then be put in place to ensure that they can be implemented. Both societal change and technology use concurrently are able to solve the water scarcity problems that people face. Apart from devising ways to get water, it is also important to conserve the little that is there instead of let it go to waste or contaminating it.
Works Cited
Hamdy, A, R Ragab and Elisa Scarascia‐Mugnozza. "Coping with water scarcity: water saving and increasing water productivity." Irrigation and Drainage 52.1 (2003): 3–20.
Pereira, Luis S., Ian Cordery and Iacovos Iacovides. "Coping with water scarcity." Technical Documents in Hydrology. 2002.
Torgovnick, Kate. 7 talks on ideas for life without water. 31st January 2013. Retrieved from http://blog.ted.com/7-talks-on-ideas-for-life-without-water/
