Consequences of Water Scarcity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consequences of Water Scarcity - Research Paper Example Water scarcity effects can clearly be analyzed from this group of people i.e. from North Africa. The first issue we look at is the impact on the economy. Africa being a continent that is not much into industrialization, its economic backbone is therefore agricultural based which is directly affected by water scarcity. Plants need water to survive which can be administered to them through rainfall or irrigation. This means that agriculture as an economic sector use close to 78% of all water consumption in Africa. Apart from food which is normally grown for consumption by a family, there is also surplus that is normally sold for income not forgetting the cash crop industry that sees most European and Asian countries use the same in the processing industries from coffee to cocoa. With water shortage this chain is clearly broken with the end results being detrimental not only for Africa as a continent but to the end user consumer who may be subjected to prices that are inflated due to a higher demand for a scares commodity. The United nation commission for Africa noted that since a large percentage of Africa as a continent relies heavily on rainfall fed agriculture, global warming has a direct impact on it. Thus a structure has to be established to encourage irrigation as an alternative and since the machinery required for irrigation is expensive the world in general will have to be subjected to higher charges on commodities that initially were in their price range (UN Economic commission for Africa). The other issue that stands out is the environmental preservation as affected by water scarcity. We know very well that for an economy that is somehow able water scarcity is usually talked through use of boreholes and sinking of wells. In most parts of northern Kenya (Africa) there has been an increased number of sinking of wells and boreholes sponsored by non-governmental organization. This they say is one way of helping the indigenous communities from migrations in search of water. In as much as it is for a good cause, there have been reports of sinking grounds in those areas. Just like in the state of Denver Colorado, the effects are real. This is due to the fact that when water is drained out the soil particles and rocks are coalesced closer together as a result of spaces left by the drained water. In as much as it is not a great concern in the East African country, its effect in places like Denver is catastrophic since buildings become unstable in sinking soils meaning that engineers have to take into account such calculation to avoid disasters in the future. This has seen the state adopt the use of recharge basins which have been dug into the sandy grounds of the area. This allows collection of water during rainy seasons and from surrounding rivers that tends to seep into the ground with time allowing for replenishment of the groundwater that initially had been drained out for use. These means that the environmental preservation is somehow conserved which reduces the effect of sinking of grounds that is associated with grounds that have been drained off their water. (Thirst cities: water management in a hanging environment). As we have seen, the scarcity of water affects a third of the world’s population. Thus there is prone to be stresses in relation to available water resources which may see human conflicts arising from the