Future Challenges: Clean water

With a population of 7 billion people, clean water shortages is a critical challenge for the world. By 2050, the global population will have grown 34 percent expecting an estimated 10 billion people. This puts pressure on the water infrastructure system.

Uneven population increase in different locations, which is unconnected to local resources, will exacerbate the burden. The majority of this population expansion will occur in developing countries, such as Indonesia with nearly 270 million people being the 4th most populated country in the world, the water crisis is already a significant issue.

Around 24 million Indonesians do not have access to safe drinking water, and 38 million do not have access to clean water making it inadequate for sanitation. Although, because of their low population, the surplus of clean water in Indonesia is mostly located in areas like Papua, Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku where it’s economically less advanced and the citizens are more likely to have less access to clean water.

Whereas in places denser like Java, experts said that Java’s water levels are expected to plummet to 476m3 per person per year by 2040. By 2045, water shortages are anticipated to affect nearly 10% of Indonesia’s population which 3/4 of them living in Java.

The water problem is a public health emergency. Each year, about one million people die as a result of water, sanitation, and hygiene-related diseases that could be avoided if everyone had access to clean water and sanitation. Every two minutes, a child dies as a result of a water-related illness. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation improves the health of the body and helps to avoid the spread of infectious diseases. It means reduced child and maternal mortality rates. Every part of life is connected by water. Safe water and sanitation can swiftly transform challenges into opportunities for education and health.

As a student, I can see a ray of light in this water crisis by carrying out my duties as a student. Educate people living in rural areas, especially villages with raging fatal diseases, on how to filter water, boil water, and explain why clean water is important. Helping them directly by providing aids and volunteer acts. Raising awareness with the use of social media saying conserve water daily and open donations.

Reference:

Water.org. 2021. Indonesia’s Water Crisis — Indonesia’s Water Problems In 2020 | Water.org. [online] Available at: <https://water.org/our-impact/where-we-work/indonesia/> [Accessed 4 July 2021].

Lowyinstitute.org. 2021. In Java, the water is running out. [online] Available at: <https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/in-java-water-is-running-out> [Accessed 4 July 2021].

Boretti, A. and Rosa, L., 2021. Reassessing the projections of the World Water Development Report. [online] nature.com. Available at: <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41545-019-0039-9#ref-CR1> [Accessed 4 July 2021].