Causes of Water Insecurity

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Physical Causes of Water Insecurity

There are physical causes leading to water insecurity including climate variability and salt-water encroachment.

Climate variability

Climate variation leads to regions with high rainfall (e.g. Amazon rainforest) and areas which are arid (e.g. the Sahel).
Other areas receive rainfall during a short rainy season such as the monsoon in Southern Asia.
Climate change alters weather patterns and increases the differences between climates.
Rajasthan in India has experienced a reduction in aquifer recharge due to changes in evaporation and precipitation rates as well as runoff rates.

Salt water encroachment

Saltwater encroachment is the processes where groundwater near the coast is contaminated with salt water.
During normal conditions, groundwater and soil moisture are kept as freshwater due to its movement towards the sea but sea level rise, coastal erosion and local abstraction of groundwater increase the risk of saltwater intrusion.

E.g. Tuvalu

The South Pacific Nation of Tuvalu has the highest point of three meters above sea level- so is suffering from sea level rise.
Sea level rise has lead to all groundwater being contaminated due to saltwater encroachment. Tuvalu has to import the majority of their water needs.
The salt water has entered into the soil and has destroyed much of the crop that once grew on the land, limiting their food resources further.

Human Causes of Water Insecurity

Water insecurity can be caused by human factors including river and aquifer over-abstraction, agricultural water contamination and industrial water pollution.

Rivers and aquifers over-abstraction

Globally, around 20% of all aquifers are considered to be over-abstracted.
For example in Rajasthan, India, Coca-Cola bottling factories have abstracted water so quickly that the water table dropped over 15 metres in 10 years. This lead to bore holes being drilled by local farmers in search of water as their personal wells and reservoirs ran dry - leading to protests.

Agricultural water contamination

Water can be contaminated beyond human use because of agricultural waste products.
For example, excess fertilisers or pesticides can be washed away by rainwater, resulting in that water being too contaminated for human consumption.
Agriculture is the single largest user of water. 70% of the world’s water is used for agriculture, rising to around 90% in developing countries. This means a significant amount of the available water is being contaminated.

Industrial water pollution

Industry can lead to water pollution for a large number of reasons:
- A lack of regulation of the waste products entering the river and water systems. This allows pollutants and other waste products to contaminate the waterways.
- Mining causes dangerous metals to enter the water systems.
- Untreated sewage leads to harmful bacteria being consumed by those using that water.