Water scarcity - making every drop count

Abstract

Every year, International Water Day is celebrated on 22 March. This year, the theme was ‘Coping with Water Scarcity’. When we think of water scarcity, we usually think of drought, especially in a country such as South Africa, which remains one of the 30 driest countries in the world. But the lack of rain is only one reason why people might not have enough water. What is the difference betWeen Water scarcity and drought? While arid and droughtstricken areas suffer the most, people everywhere can be affected by water scarcity, even those living in areas with plenty of rainfall or freshwater. Water scarcity occurs when the ways in which we use and distribute water cannot fully meet the demand from households, farms, industry and the environment. Global water use is increasing at more than twice the rate of population growth and more people than ever are learning first hand about coping with water scarcity. While three-quarters of the Earth is covered by water, only a small fraction of it is available as freshwater.

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