Although every continent has its own areas of high water stress, primarily where In excess of 80% of the local water supply is used by agriculture, business, residents and other consumers.
Unfortunately this chronic overuse of resources leaves an area vulnerable to episodic droughts, and all it takes is a few years of bad rainfall or poor water-management to plunge a region into crisis.
A Global Decade of Drought
Over the past decade various countries have experienced unprecedented droughts, such as:
Australia
Australia suffered what was to be known as the “millennium drought†between 1995 and late 2009, when reservoir levels, industrial water use and crop production fell to precipitously low levels. IN an effort to drought-proof themselves, cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Perth built desalination plants while other cities preferred grey-water recycling projects. Drought-affected farmers and small businesses received $4.5 billion in assistance from the Federal Government between 2001 and 2012. Following shortly on the heels of this drought, in 2010/2011, Australia experienced its worst flooding in 50 years, affecting 200,000 people and costing around $10 billion in damages.
Spain
In 2008, Spain’s north-eastern region of Catalonia experienced such a severe drought that Barcelona was forced to import water by sea from France. Water-efficient infrastructure is lacking and around 70% of Spain’s water is used for agricultural purposes but a lot of it is wasted due to water-thirsty crops and inefficient irrigation systems.
Mesopotamia
Syria suffered its worst drought in recorded history between 2006 and 2011, which resulted in massive crop failure. The GRACE satellite study showed that there was an alarming rate of decrease in both the Tigris and Euphrates river basins. This water scarcity and the resultant migration of rural communities to nearby cities, together with political, social and religious upheaval, are thought to have contributed to the Syrian military conflict.
Brazil
São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte are experiencing the worst drought in 84 years, with dangerously low and highly polluted reservoirs. With around 40 million people at risk as well as the nation’s powerhouse, it is hoped that it will not become necessary to bring in the military to help out.
California
California too, now in its fourth year of an unprecedented drought, is suffering badly and mandatory water restrictions are in place. The situation is so desperate that a group of farmers have given up 25% of their water rights this year in exchange for not getting deeper mandatory cuts.
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