The 2025 J.U.C. Awards | Submitted Category: WRITING Submission Code: W16 #JUC2025 | Dedication Theme: #WaterActionDecade | Word count: 1263

WATER SCARCITY CHALLENGE AND SOLUTION 

[#JUCAwards2025] The demand for freshwater has been rising globally since the 1980s, at a rate of slightly less than 1% annually. Although around 70% of freshwater withdrawals come from agriculture, the primary drivers of rising water demand are industrial (20%) and residential (10%) uses.

The areas with the highest population growth are frequently ones with the lowest water use per capita. Currently, severe water scarcity affects about half of the population for at least a portion of the year. Extremely severe levels of water stress affect 25% of the population. 

Poor ambient water supplies in low-income nations are mostly caused by inadequate waste water treatment, whereas the most significant issue in high-income countries is runoff from agriculture.  Extreme rainfall records have been rising globally. The global water cycle is expected to become more intense due to climate change.

Two billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water as of 2022. In rural areas, four out of five people lack access to at least basic drinking water services. The urban population has grown faster than cities and municipalities have been able to keep up. 

Prosperity includes the freedom and chance to develop or expand in a safe manner. Water supports livelihood, health, and other essential human requirements, which fosters prosperity. Pandemics, climate change, hyperinflation, and other catastrophes can all have an equal influence on water access. 

The greatest risk to their well-being and quality of life is experienced by the most vulnerable and impoverished people. It doesn’t seem like water has become a common source of conflict. There is no obvious correlation between a nation’s water availability and its gross domestic output per capita. This is due in part to the fact that water has a wide range of effects on the economy, including market adaptation and global trade dynamics.There are 3.5 billion people who do not have access to these services. 

One of the main social-economic drivers of labour, livelihood, and sustainable growth is agriculture. Water risk associated with climate change is a threat to agricultural production. Ten to fifteen percent of the world’s water is used for energy production. Water demand is rising in the subregion due to factors like population expansion, fast urbanisation, development, and changing lifestyles. 

Economic water scarcity affects the majority of Africa. With an estimated 4% of its total land area, Africa has the largest percentage of transboundary basins compared to other continents. Ninety percent of the transboundary basin area is covered by operational arrangements in 27 of the 42 European nations that report, with 19 of the 22 states falling below the water scarcity threshold.

Biological treatment of Waste Water methods 

Biosorption is a new technology for the removal and recovery of pollutants,  low-cost natural fibre of banana trunk as biofibre to remove COD, ammonia nitrogen, suspended solids, turbidity, colour, and oil and grease from kitchen wastewater

 Natural methods 

After completing all Phycio chemical as well as biological treatment, recalcitrant pollutants such as some of inorganic ,radioactive substances are not removed from the wastewater. Remediation techniques used to degrade the recalcitrant pollutant and transformed into less toxic forms .Phytoremediation is one of the bioremediation process that uses plants for the remediation. Phytoremediation using aquatic plants of kitchen wastewater was a sustainable ecofriendly treatment technology and it has the ability to remove organic and inorganic pollutants (Rutuj Rodge 2023), Riswana parwin etal 2019 investigated Eichhornia crassipes for the removal of physiochemical parameters in kitchen wastewater. At the end of the experiment he had observed an increase of 50% biomass of Eichhornia crassipes

The modern and innovative phytoremediation technology is combination of porous concrete and some additives with plants. Even though this technology gave greatest effect on reducing BOD,COD and fecal coliforms, It has some limitations like clogging porous concrete.getting corroded and deteriorated. This can be overcome by the system especially backwashing the porous concrete or new porous specimens was needed (mohsen javaheri etal 2020).Nyoman nepi etal 2020 investigated the combined phytoremediation with solar UV system for grey water and a max of 92% organic content removal efficiency was achieved. For improving the reuse efficiency he recommended the advanced grey water treatment system (submerged membrance bioreactor).NPK content of grey wastewater was removed by 55% by using floating hydroponic phytoremediation. Surfactaants and oil rich greywater was investigated by Shritama Muchopadhya etal 2022 observed more than 90%removal of BOD &TOC may be achieved through the green technology development treatment system (Pycoremediation)with Arthrospira sp. One of the low cost aerobic natural system for the higher removal efficiency of TSS upto 95% was done by vermi filtration system (chithra etal 2024). Nitrate and Potassium concentration was increased in the filtered water due to vermicasts. Rashmi Verma etal 2014 suggested duckweed Lamna gibba  showed higher nutrient  removal efficiency a maximum of  SO4 −2 (35–82%), ,total phosphorus (37–54%), tot Na (44–75%), totK (45–76%) and tot.Ca (51–72%). 

My suggested remedy for water scarcity, which is listed below, can assist nations in lowering water usage and increasing water supply.

Catching and storing rainwater before it hits the ground is known as rainwater harvesting. Water can be transported by aqueducts from areas with an abundance of it to those that require it. Aqueducts can be contentious and challenging from a political standpoint, particularly when it comes to long water transfer distances. One disadvantage of the water diversion is that it may result in drought in the region where the water is extracted. 

Desalination, which includes extracting dissolved salt and minerals from saltwater or saline groundwater, is one technique that can actually increase the amount of freshwater on Earth. This strategy has the benefit of an almost limitless supply of saltwater. Reusing water for suitable uses, like agriculture, municipal water supplies, industrial operations, and environmental restoration, is known as water recycling. Installing plumbing that redirects water drained from the washbasin to flush the toilet is one example of how this could happen on a single household size. Large-scale water recycling is also possible.

Conserving water means utilising it more effectively while consuming less of it. Water-saving technologies and behavioural choices are two ways to practise conservation around the house. Water-saving technology include low-flow showers and toilets, as well as high-efficiency clothes washers. Fixing leaking faucets, taking shorter showers and showers rather than baths, and shutting off the water while brushing your teeth are all examples of water-conserving practices. 

In developing nations, water credit is a technique that involves lending money to households and small businesses in order to expand their access to clean water sources and sanitary facilities. Most water credit investments are funded by governments and other public sector entities, but private groups and microcredit institutions can help. The poor and less fortunate are typically the target of microcredits, which assist them in meeting their water demands.

Raise awareness about conserving water. The reality of water scarcity, its negative impacts, and the sheer number of people affected are not well known. Initiatives, technology, and conservation education can result in more fruitful partnerships and expanded approaches to addressing water scarcity.

We can put an end to the global water shortage by putting the aforementioned action into practice.

REFERENCE 

1. UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme Report 2024. “The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024: water for prosperity and peace” ISBN: 978-92-3-100657-9 Collation: 153 pages

2. Naman Agarwal (2024), “Indian Water Sector Report 2024” Wright Research & Capital Pvt Ltd | SEBI

3. Amutha” Analysis of grey water and continent-based recommendations for waste water treatment aligned with SDGS6″ Literature report 2024…  

The 2025 J.U.C. Awards | Submitted Category: WRITING Submission Code: W16 #JUC2025 | Dedication Theme: #WaterActionDecade | Word count: 1263

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