The Coming Global Water Crisis

Today according to UNICEF at least 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Well 1.1 billion people live without clean drinking water period. Water is key component in our daily life no matter where we live. Not only for human use but also for energy, industries, agriculture and life stock. If you look at the Earth you will notice that over 75% of our planet is water. The problem is only 3% of that water is fresh water. Over 260 river basins are shared by 2 or more countries, and most of these rivers are without defined legal or institutional arrangements.

Consider the Ariel Sea for example located in central Asia. The name Ariel Sea is actually translated into the “Sea of Islands” referring to over 1534 island that once existed. Today the Ariel Sea is down to 10% of its original size.  The same thing is happening in other areas that were once flourishing are now turning into desert.

A report titled “avoiding water wars: water scarcity in central Asia growing importance for stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan” was done by United State Senate Foreign Relation Committee. In it, it focuses on rising water tension that can destabilize Central and South Asia. The implication of water shortage has already cause aggravated demand for agriculture and power generation according to the report. Water without a doubt is going to be huge issue along with Oil throughout this century.

In the US the world largest body of fresh water the Ogallala Aquifer an underground lake that extends from Colorado Rockies, the South Dekota and going all the way down to Texas Panhandle with range of 50 to 300 feet of depth. This water resource has made America planes the bread basket of the world. Unfortunately like an Oil well this won’t last forever. The Ogallala use to have the average depth of 240 feet, today its average depth is just 80 feet. Recently a story done in Texas about a town named Happy, who is simply ran out of water for its farms, but once was a booming town that relied on the Ogallala Aquifer has now seen its depths of underground water fall between 0 to 50 feet. Many wells are completely dried, and farmers have been forced to handover their lands to Government’s conservation reserve program in exchange of grants. The US department of agriculture (USDA) stated “The supply is going to run out, and plains will become uneconomical to farm”. 60 years is what US department of agriculture gave it.

This is a scary thought when we think about the way we have built cities, towns and homes around something which is simply unsustainable. Consider Colorado River as well, a river which use to run in to the Pacific Ocean, but not anymore. By the time water fills the pools in Las Vegas, and irrigates and provides drinking water through out west not a drop of water makes it to the ocean.

Well research in the water crises futuremoneytrends.com came across studies of how in some places in Africa so much water is being pulled out of the Eco system in order to bottled it and send it around the World some town have become deserts. As the World population grows the water crises will become front page news. According to consulting company McKenzie & company by 2030 global water demand will be 40% than greater than today’s accessible, reliable, environmentally sustainable supply.

Futuremoneytrends.com members should have no doubt that this is 100% tide into agriculture and rising food prices inflation. 71% of Global water withdraws today and go to irrigating our food. Like Oil, it takes water for many goods. A cotton T-shirt 400 gallons, jeans 1800 gallons, a 39000 gallons,1 ton steel 62000 gallon, and a piece of paper 2.26 gallons of water. Consider how much water it takes to grow our food, feed our animals and ourselves.