Water Resources, Crises, and Sustainability

Abstract

The world faces multiple water-related crises. These crises threaten not only ecosystems but also human health, food security, and economic development. However, there are increasing efforts towards sustainability aimed at addressing these challenges. Most countries in the world suffer from water scarcity, as a result of several combined reasons, including the water policies that the riparian countries have embarked on to reduce the amounts of incoming water, and the establishment of irrigation projects, in addition to climate changes such as a rise in temperatures and a decrease in the rate of rainfall. As a result of the population increase, the water problem has turned into a water crisis that worsens over time, which has affected the process of agricultural production and thus achieving sustainable agricultural development, as there is an inverse relationship between it and the water crisis. To solve this problem is to know the real causes that cause the crisis and find appropriate solutions and treatment for it. The researchers concluded that the nature of the water problem lies in a simple equation, which is that the available water is less than the demand for it. To solve this problem, it is either to increase the amount of water available versus the demand for it, or to reduce the demand for it around the quantity supplied. Many experiences in managing their water resources under conditions of scarcity, drought, and desertification, and the location of these countries in dry and semi-arid climate zones have led to the development of foundations, concepts, and principles that are widely applicable through the application of ideas for integrated management of water resources. Water resources management aims to develop and implement policies, processes, technologies, leadership, and organizations to understand, distribute, and improve the movement and characteristics of water resources to meet the multiple needs of human communities and ecosystems in an economically viable and environmentally sustainable manner.