Why there is water scarcity

Abstract

<abstract> <p>During the Neolithic period very few humans (3 to 5 million) lived on Planet Earth. As described in this review, there was an excess of water to support the life of these people. After the advent of agricultural practices, the number of people, as well as the production of food, increased very much and, as a consequence, large amounts of water became necessary to support this development. The availability of water is still in large excess as compared to the needs. The lack of water is the consequence of the lack of the appropriate infrastructures required to transport water to the places where it is needed. People need water in the right places at the right moment. They ask their governments to provide it, but the answers are not satisfactory. The actions needed are at the level of improving the irrigation, the distribution of water, the growth of more efficient vegetables and many similar initiatives. What is needed is a plethora of concerted actions that require national and international initiatives. The answer is an "international" action, not an "intergovernmental" one.</p> </abstract>