While much of the U.S. is currently blessed with adequate water supplies - a big change in circumstances from just a year ago - the same is not true around the globe. Some countries are experiencing significant water scarcity as we begin the new year.
At this time, these nine countries appear to be grappling with the worst water scarcity on the planet:
1. Afghanistan: Most of the country is struggling with water scarcity, and making matters worse, only a bit more than ten percent of the available water is clean enough for human consumption. Furthermore, the country has inadequate water infrastructure and what infrastructure they have is falling into disrepair.
2. Ethiopia. Many countries in Africa are experiencing severe water scarcity, but Ethiopia appears to be at the top of the list. Less than half of the people in the country have access to clean, potable water. What many people do is store water in containers. But over time, those containers become contaminated. Many of the health problems and deaths in this country are caused by drinking contaminated water from these storage vessels.
3. Chad. The fifth largest country in Africa, the Republic of Chad is located in north-central Africa and part of the Sahara Desert. It is landlocked, making it increasingly dependent on its neighbors for water, most of whom are having their own water scarcity problems. They do have a “wet season” each year, when many people in Chad collect and store water. But just as in Ethiopia that water often becomes contaminated, resulting in illness and death.
4. Cambodia and Laos. These two countries share many of the same water-related problems. The Mekong River flows through both countries, but much of that water is used for growing crops. What’s happening now, because of reduced water levels, fewer crops are being grown. This means that in both countries, not only is there water scarcity, but food shortages are increasing as well.
5. Haiti. This country has had water scarcity issues for years. However, the 2021 earthquake made the situation worse. What plumbing infrastructure the country had before the quake was mostly destroyed.
6. Pakistan. According to some experts, it's not so much that Pakistan lacks sufficient water for its population as it is that it has yet to develop ways to store water adequately to meet human and agricultural needs. Some experts even call it “negligence” because Pakistani officials have been told for years that their water storage facilities are inadequate.
7. Syria. Along with not receiving enough rainfall to meet its water-related needs, the political situation in Syria is contributing to the country’s water scarcity. Some government-controlled areas of the country are not allowing water to be released to “rebel” areas, causing water scarcity. Furthermore, Syrians are migrating, moving into areas of the country that do not have enough water to provide for these new residents.
8. Egypt. The Nile River has always been the critical source of water for Egypt. But in recent years, the Nile has become progressively more polluted. The result is less drinkable water for an already thirsty country.
9. Somalia. This country does get enough water from rainfall events for its citizenry. Further, as with many of the countries mentioned earlier, there are limited water storage facilities in Somalia, water infrastructure is non-existent or in need of repair, and what infrastructure development has been built tends to be mismanaged.
For these nine countries, water scarcity is dire. But there’s more to the story. Water scarcity is affecting nearly three billion people, nearly half the world’s population. It is causing disease, death, and poverty to spread.
And what’s next maybe conflict. According to Dr. Mohammed T. Bani Salameh, a Professor of Political Science at the Political Science department at Yarmouk University in Jordan, the growing population and increasing water scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa may inevitably result in military conflict, which will impact the entire globe.
Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.
