“For us, water is [now] more important than oil.”

Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, U.A.E.

The next World War, if there is one, will be fought over water – that’s the seriousness of the problem that the world is grappling with. Water scarcity is a serious global issue and not nation is exempt from it. While the world’s population continues to grow, the rise in numbers hasn’t really been matched by a corresponding increase in water resources. If anything, the world’s fresh water supplies are dwindling at an alarming rate.

It’s hard for many of us to imagine, but more than a billion people around the world, one out of seven individuals, lack access to safe drinking water. Large swathes of the world are in a crisis and drying up alarmingly: reservoirs, aquifers, rivers and fresh water lakes – they are all drying up.

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan is making a lot of news in the U.S. There are similar reports of a water crisis from different regions of the world. In South Asia, the water crisis is perhaps more severe than in any part of the world. There’s been a drought in the western part of India that has lasted 3 years. Things are really bad with livestock dying and farmers losing their livelihoods. Satellite images show that South Asia is running out of precious water resources at an alarming rate.

It’s the same story in Brazil, where in the city of Sao Paulo, the drought has gotten so bad that people are drilling through car parks and basement floors for groundwater. And the city is running out of groundwater too.

Back home in the U.S., the state of California has entered its fourth straight year of drought. It’s really dry in California and a lot of people are very worried about the situation.

For sure, the problem is so huge that it makes one feel that it’s beyond our control and there’s nothing that any of us can really do about it. But really, there’s a lot you can do to conserve water for everyone. Even if you live in a part of the world where the water crisis is not as big as in South Asia, Middle East or Africa, you can do so much to help. Let’s see how…

Be Aware of What’s Happening – Learn about the global water shortage, talk about it with your friends. Look for the latest news on the global water crisis.

Participate – Join organizations, nonprofits and global charities that aim to preserve water resources around the world, especially in the poorest countries such as Bangladesh, Kenya and Ethiopia. Donate to worthy causes and help out in any way you can.

Develop the Right Attitude to Water - Never Waste Water! You can do your bit to conserve water. Make sure the tap is off when you’re not using it. Avoid flushing the toilet too many times. Look at the things you can do to save water and protect the environment, such as switching to reusable water bottles or portable water bottles and never using plastic water bottles ever again. So, by doing something as simple as this, you will drink water at its purest and help reduce the carbon footprint, prevent plastic pollution and conserve fossil fuels.

Campaign for a Better World – Join pressure groups and environmental agencies such as Greenpeace and pressurize the government and industries against doing anything that can harm the environment or pollute water supplies.

Conclusion

I don’t mean to scare you with this article, but yes, water crisis is a reality and things are really very serious across the world. I leave the final word to Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, who says, “Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth... these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women's empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.”

Amen to that!