Water comprises 70% of our world, and it's simple to assume that it will always be abundant. Freshwater, on the other hand, is in short supply—we drink it, bathe in it, and use it to irrigate our crops. Freshwater makes up only 3% of the world's water, and two-thirds of that is frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for human consumption.

Families and communities will be impoverished for centuries if they do not have access to clean, readily available water. If children are forced to drop out of school due to unhygienic water, the entire family is prone to suffer to make a living.

Two-thirds of the world's population may experience water shortages by 2025, according to the WWF. Ecosystems all throughout the world will be harmed considerably more.

What is Water Stress?

Although India contains 4% of the world's water resources, it became water-stressed in 2011. According to a 2019 NITI Aayog study, India is experiencing its biggest water crisis in history, with almost 600 million people without access to clean water. As per the analysis, 21 cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai, would have likely depleted their groundwater resources by 2021.

According to a 2014 research by the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation, rain-fed agriculture accounts for 70% of India's agriculture. Despite this, the sea receives 65% of its total rainfall. Another form of water stress is pollution, which results in healthcare losses. According to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board, cities are home to 36% of India's population yet responsible for 70% of water pollution.

An imbalance between water consumption and water resources causes water stress. It's a criticality ratio, which means that water stress is affected by resource variability. Freshwater resources deteriorate in quantity (aquifer overexploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality as a result of water stress (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.) Expert judgment and experience are used to determine the value of this criticality ratio, which signals considerable water stress.

There is already more wastewater created and disseminated today than at any previous point in our planet's history. 1.1 billion people, or more than one out of every six people, do not have access to clean drinking water. More than two out of every six individuals, or 2.6 billion people, do not have access to proper sanitation.

Water Crisis

Many of the world's natural water streams have been effectively harnessed by humans, who have built dams, water wells, massive irrigation systems, and other constructions that have allowed civilizations to expand and prosper. With the drying up of rivers, lakes and aquifer drying out, the water systems are becoming increasingly strained.

The human population has more than doubled in the previous 50 years. Rapid expansion, along with economic development and industrialization, has radically altered water environments across the world, resulting in a tremendous loss of species. Currently, 41% of the world's population lives in river basins that are experiencing water scarcity. As freshwater usage continues at unsustainable levels, there is growing concern about water supply. Furthermore, these new faces require food, housing, and clothes, putting extra strain on freshwater resources as a result of commodity and energy production.

India, China, Australia, Spain, and the United States are among the food-producing countries that have reached or are on the verge of exceeding their water resource constraints. In addition to these thirsty crops, agriculture produces significant freshwater pollution - both through fertilizers and pesticides – both of which have an impact on people and other creatures.

Effects of Water Crisis on Children & Women

771 million people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water, and 1.7 billion do not have access to a toilet. Each year, about one million people die as a result of water, sanitation, and hygiene-related illnesses that might be avoided if everyone had access to clean water and sanitation. The physical well-being of women and children who are forced to carry large containers long distances is also harmed by a lack of safe water.

Women and children are disproportionately affected, with children being more susceptible to diseases caused by contaminated water. More than 800 children under the age of five die every day as a result of diarrhea caused by polluted water, inadequate sanitation, and improper hygiene practices. Women and girls bear the responsibility of transporting water for their families. In rural Africa, the typical woman travels 6 kilometers each day to transport 40 pounds of water.

Three out of ten people in the world – 2.3 billion people – do not have access to soap and water to wash their hands at home. Safe water immediately assists the world's most vulnerable households in preparing for and protecting themselves from illness and disease. They have better health since they can practise proper hygiene like handwashing and they don't have to leave their houses to get water because they have clean water.

Importance of Clean Water

A human being can survive three weeks without food, according to science, yet most individuals can't endure three to four days without water! Even if the person continues to breathe, dehydration sets in, and they will fall into shock and become vegetative. In other words, water is the most important resource. A living organism can't live without it. Nonetheless, the fact that billions of people lack access to safe drinking water throughout the world is a terrifying reality.

1. Source of nourishment

Human bodies require appropriate hydration to function properly. Water also aids organ health by allowing the blood to keep the consistency necessary for it to circulate freely and supply oxygen and nutrients to all of the body's cells.

2. Aids in the Removal of Toxins

Clean, fresh, and safe water also aids in the removal of toxins from the body, whether they are produced by internal processes, absorbed from external sources, or develop as a result of consuming contaminated water.

3. Prevention of Diseases

Cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis A are all fatal medical disorders caused by the ingestion or presence of polluted water. Clean water is necessary not just for illness prevention but also for excellent health.

Using water sustainably is the only solution to this grave problem. To spread awareness about the severity of the situation, volunteers of Child Help Foundation along with the students of Thakur College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai, conducted a wall-painting activity on the occasion of World Water Day.

As Deb Haaland said "We have only one Earth. Let's take care of it!"