By: Nika
Chitadze
Director of the Center for International Studies
Professor of the International Black Sea University
Introduction
At the end of XX and beginning of the XXI century
more and more attention is paid to the global problems of the water resources.
This global problem is interrelated with the other global problems – political,
ecologic and demographic. From one side, pollution of the environment causes
the fact, that the sources of the drinking water are becoming useless for the
consumption. From the other side, population growth in our planet is the reason
of the emerging and strengthening its deficit.
The
whole stock of the water of our planet is about 1,4 Billion km3. (Neidze,
2004) But, its biggest part is salted. Particularly, water occupies 70% of the
surface of our planet, but almost entire part is
coming to the salt – water - 97.5%. In
this case, the share of the fresh water among of the
all available water resources is 2,5 %
(Neidze, 2004). It
is concentrated mainly in the glaciers and therefore, it
is predominantly inaccessible. Thus, only 1% of
the available water resources of the planet is accessible for the direct use by
the mankind (Neidze, 2004).
At the same time specialist consider possible the
consumption not only fresh, but even salted marine water. And they solve this
problem by the transferring the marine water to the fresh water, however, it is
rather expensive and accessible only for the economically developed
states.
In
this
case, for a period of centuries, the volume
of accessible (available) water resources in the world, practically have not
been changed toward their increasing.
Main reasons of the causing the deficit of
the water resources
The basic reasons for the
strengthening the global scarcity of water are briefly examined below.
Population Growth.
Yearly growth of the World population is 80 million people,
which creates an additional demand for the drinking water in the size of 64
billion m3 per year. Taking into account the
fact, that 90% of the expected increase of the
population by 2050 relates to the regions, which already
have the problems with the fresh water, the
situation can seriously be aggravate (Kegley, Blanton, 2011).
In the 20th Century, the population of the World was tripled from 1.6 to 6 billion people, in 2011, the number of
the World population prevailed 7 billion people (Chitadze, 2017) and the area of the watered agriculture increased from 50 to 267 million hectares, and the consumption of water increased for the six times – annually from 500 to 3 500 km3 (Gleick, 2000). The real shortage of water provokes the increased demand, connected, according to the estimations of experts and international organizations, with the demographic boom, by a change in the food ration by the large groups of population, by the development of industry and power engineering, by urbanization, by the popularization of the bio fuel. The factors,
which reduce the volume of accessible water resources,
include ineffective/rapacious of water
consumption, pollution of water and climate changes.
Economic growth.
According
to the World Bank prognosis, the global economy will grow by 2.8% annually in
2018-19, though this growth will be different in different countries.
Thus,
together with the economic growth, it is increasing the consumption of water.
For example, if in the old period, during the 24 hours, one person consumed
12-18 liters, XIX Century – 40-60 liters, in the economically developed
countries daily consumption per person is 300 liters, in the big cities 500
liters and more (Neidze, 2004).
Non-equal
distribution of water by the regions of the World
Freshwater
resources are distributed between different regions and countries of the modern
world are extremely uneven. Moreover, where there is an abundance of water
sources - in Canada, the countries of the North Europe, Siberia, Alaska, most
of South America - water demand is less than in regions where it is not enough,
for example in North Africa, the Middle East, Central and South
Asia. By the beginning of the XXI century. 70%
of the world's population lived in countries, where population experienced very
severe water stress, i.e. acute deficit of water resources. After a quarter
century, the proportion of people living in such conditions will amount to 80%.
Climate change.
Among of all processes, which influence the availability of
fresh water, this process – exogenous, and for
the humanity has not been remained the different way, except
adaptation. A climate change aggravates the situation both
in the traditionally arid regions and in the developing countries of Asia: one of
the reliable manifestations of a global climate
change scientists call a change in the water`s
cycle (UN, 2009); in the regions with the
arid climate the amount of precipitation will be reduced,
and with the moist –strengthened. The decrease of
the area of glaciers moreover, directly effects
on the volume of accessible water resources.
But the most
visual influence of a climate
change for the water cycle occurs
through a radical increase in the number of the natural
disasters. The natural disasters have
a direct and destructive effect on situation with
the water supply, they require additional
investments into the steadier infrastructure and the creation of the
special dams for the restraining of floods and reservoirs for the
economy of
water in the arid years becomes vital need for
the majority of the countries. Within the period
of 1980-2004, third of all-natural calamities were
coming to floods (29%) and droughts (5%) (UNICEF).
Water as a
reason of potential conflicts
Water scarcity negatively affects the
quality of life of the ordinary people, interferes with the tasks of
socio-economic the development of many of the world's poorest countries. As
practice shows, the not-abundance of fresh water can cause both internal, and
international conflicts. For example, the disputes about using the water
resources of the Jordan River, are an additional factor which complicates the
procedure for the resolving the Middle East conflict.
Both, Israel and neighboring Arab
countries together with Palestine seek to secure a priority in using scarce of
in the Middle East of water resources. In the countries of this region, as well
as in many Asian and African states internal contradictions about the use of water
resources often lead to fierce conflicts among interest groups, to the
confrontation between population and official authorities.
Internationalization of previously
purely inland river basins may become a prerequisite for the emergence of new
conflict zones in the world politics.
Trans-border regulation.
The Source of the problems of
trans-border regulation is, in the essence, the
imposition of the political map of the World on the
map of the water basins. On the Earth are located 263 international basins (such basins include
those, on whose territory are
located two and more countries). In those basins
is concentrated
about 60% of the fresh water and by the territory they occupy half of the earth's surface. International basins partially seize the territory of 145 countries and territory of 21 states completely enters into the international ponds (Giordano, 2003).
Conclusion
To solve the problems of
water scarcity the international cooperation on the global level is required.
Since March 22, 1992 it is celebrated a World Day of water resources. In 1996,
the World Water Council was established, headquartered in Marseille (France).
Once within three years,
the World Water Forum, which is the next step in organizing cooperation on
water issues is held. The goals of the Forum are not only in conducting
discussions and developing provisions for solving water problems, but also in
creating political obligations and mechanisms for international cooperation.
However, here, just as in the solving other global problems, it is emerged a
contradiction between universal interests and economic political and political
priorities of individual states.
References:
Chitadze N. 2017. World Geography. Political, Economic and
Demographic Dimensions. Scholar`s Press. Germany. P. 156
Giordano M. A. Sharing waters: Post‐Rio international water management / M.A. Giordano,
A.T. Wolf. //Natural Resources Forum. – Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2003. – Т.
27. – №. 2. – С. 163-171.
Gleick P. H. 2000. A look at twenty-first century water
resources development. Water International. V. 25. – №. 1. – pp. 127-138
Kegley C. Blanton
S. World Politics. Trend and Transformation. 2010-2011 Edition. Pp. 485-488
Neidze V. World
Social and Economic Geography (in Georgian). 2004. Tbilisi, Georgia. p. 31
The United Nations
World Water Development Report ―Water in a changing world‖. UNESCO – 2009.
UNICEF Report
Emergencies: Refugees, IDPs and child soldiers. Natural disasters. UNICEF. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/eapro/05_Emergency.pdf
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