We must wake up to the world’s water crisis

Amid a tidal wave of bad news – from inflation and the war in Ukraine to climate change and divisive politics – there is one story that might trump all others in importance, and yet it receives the least sustained global attention: water. 

We hear about water troubles, episodically. In between those times, we turn it on and turn it off. But pause and think: After Hurricane Ian, we watched in horror as homes and possessions floated down flooded streets in Florida, where flesh-eating bacteria is now in the waterways.

In Puerto Rico, where the effects of Hurricane Ian are still being felt in downed power lines and displaced residents, citizens worry that they will be forgotten as the news moves on.

Periodically, our newscasts show firefighters in California evacuating people from their homes and trying to put out massive blazes with limited supplies, fighting climate change and heat. Keep those images in your mind.

Fifty-five percent of the lower 48 states are in a period of drought, according to government data for October 2022. 

Water conservation policies are in effect in many parts of the country to reduce water usage by prohibiting or limiting the watering of lawns.

In some parts of the United States, citizens are grappling with unsafe drinking water in schools and homes.

America is not alone in its water nightmare. Outside the United States, the water picture gets even more grim. A country is considered water-scarce when there is less than 1,000 cubic meters of renewable fresh water available per person per year.

By this metric, 11 of the 20 most water-scarce countries are in the Middle East, where conflicts over resources extend across borders, impacting everything from the price of oil to immigration. Water scarcity is creating power struggles that threaten global security for all of us.

Climate change is certainly partly to blame for the water crisis. But poor water management, economic strife, supply-chain crises and global inflation combine to make a bad situation worse.

Historically, three-fourths of fresh water in the region has existed in just four countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey — all of which are experiencing stress to their water systems. 

Few, if any, parts of the world are spared water woes. The Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in more than four decades, with imminent threats of starvation with a lack of enough rain predicted for October through December. 

In Latin America, climate change has caused sea levels to rise, contaminating freshwater aquifers and eroding shorelines. 

And according to a recent study published in Nature magazine, Asia’s water problems are projected to increase due to water loss over the Tibetan Plateau, threatening future security and “water war” on the peninsula. 

Creative solutions to meet global water needs are being developed at the national and international levels, driving innovation. Gulf countries are leading the way in new technologies for water desalination and agricultural improvements like cloud seeding.

Israel has an active set of projects to address water needs for the region through drip irrigation and sophisticated water transportation systems. It now has 20 percent more water than it needs.

But we need a more coherent, coordinated water campaign to stitch together the disparate problems plaguing water supplies. Conserving water should be more than episodic and reactive. 2023 must be the year of water.

Tara D. Sonenshine is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.