Causes of Water Scarcity

Water Scarcity is our world today is a combination of many factors. Global Climate
change, Population, Urbanisation, Surface Water Pollution and Ground Water
Pollution are some of the major factors contributing to our lack of Water.
2.1.1 Climate Change
Climate Change in our world today has a large effect on our water supply. The
change in temperature has effect rain patterns around the world which has affected
our water supply significantly. These changes in our environment, among others,
have created a water scarcity in our world today. The main cause of our climate
change, Namely Global Warming, is a result of accumulated greenhouse gasses
which have created the Greenhouse Effect. Water vapour, Carbon Dioxide,
Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Chlorofluorocarbons are the main gasses which
contribute to this effect. They are the product of our human activities that are now
built into our everyday life. Industrial factories, Transportation methods, and
overpopulation of our World have contributed to this effect in the most significant
way. The greenhouse effect has is warming our planet and so changing our
environment. [A blanket around the Earth, NASA] Due to the rising temperatures,
some areas are experiencing more precipitation, others less. The ice caps are busy
melting and raising our sea levels which in turn is contaminating our fresh drinking
water with the saline solution of our oceans. Climate change modelling exercises
consistently indicate the many of the
worlds
major river basins may experience more severe droughts and floods in the future.
South Africa is particularly venerable due to our need for rain water in the agriculture
sector and water recourses for livelihoods, our limited recourses for adaptation and
lack of institutions to regulate river and stream flow. [Science Scope, Chapter 3, Aug
2009, Climate change and our water Resource, Dr. Gift Manase] Due to the changes
in our climate it has made it increasingly difficult to establish trends in our rainfall.
[Mary and Majule, 2009]. The climate change will result in a shortage of fresh
drinking water, with developing countries such as South African Being heavily
impacted.[Rabie, 2008]. Rabie (2008) also suggests that with water cycles
intensifying, dry countries getting drier, South Africa being classified as a Semi Arid
country, the scarcity in water can produce a number an impacts such as: Disease
Xenophobia Air pollution Forest fires Economies to name a few.