Currently, about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water yet less than 3 percent of that is fresh drinkable water and even less of that is readily available to major populated countries like China and India which will be the focus in this analysis of water shortages in connection to lowered food production in said countries (Brown, R. L. 2006; Pidwirny, M. 2006). The impact of water shortages is also affecting millions of Africans. Many do not have access to clean water and this should be noted as well. The continent of Africa and its diverse people also have an impact on the world economy but they will not be the focus in this paper. China and India must look to new technology as well as new methods of agriculture to produce increased crop yields for future generations. These countries now use a variety of water resources; ground water, aquifers, and rivers to feed their vast cities and farmland however with the global population recently reaching seven billion, current levels of production will be stressed (BBC, 2011). Food productions in these regions will have to increase dramatically to accommodate for the increase of people around the globe and shortage of clean water for agriculture.
The water crisis is wide spread across the entire globe yet India and China are most prudent due to their current food production, future population size, and global impact. Both countries will have a major impact on the world economy and if the people and governments of either country neglect to take proper precautions regarding the increased levels of global population as well as consider major climate changes currently taking place this could lead to major complications in future crop production and the fresh water supply. China and India are the top producers of wheat and rice with the United States and Russia battling it out for who is the third most wheat producing nation. These four countries account for 50 percent of the total wheat production in the world with production adding up to a total of 317 MT (metric tons) each year. If these amounts were to drop the availability of wheat would drop as the cost would rise effectively starving some countries that cannot afford the new price increase. The percentage China and India produce in rice alone is 57 percent of the total world production (FAO, 2011). The large percentages of rice and wheat these nations produce have a direct correlation to the size of their populations. The current levels of production needed of China and India must either meet or exceed that of its current population yet recent data has shown that China and India are about to face increased levels of lowered production output due to water shortages. In 2010, a CNN article stated the following;
“In southwest China's Guizhou province in August, a drought affected more than 600,000 people and nearly 250,000 heads of livestock, according to Xihua. Parched soil in rice fields was covered with cracks. Beijing's water shortage will soon reach 200 million to 300 million cubic meters, even as the city waits for a new diversion of water from southern China, according to state-run media. Hundreds of other Chinese cities face varying levels of water shortages and deteriorating water quality, even as industries continue to pollute water.”
If you haven’t heard water is needed to grow crops and nations need a lot of it to get the required or projected yields in their crops. In India the percentage of water used for agriculture is almost 90% the rest is split between domestic and industry use (Grail Research 2009).
The Chinese Government must find new ways of supplying water to its cities and farmland. With 40 percent of China’s population living in the relatively dry North and the current drought which hasn’t been seen in fifty years the country, its people have a big hurdle to get over (CNN 2010). New methods of getting water to the arid North are needed. One such project is called the South-North Water Diversion Project which is currently being undertaken by the Chinese Government which hopes to redirect at least six trillion gallons of water from the major Yangtze River to the 440 million folks in the North (Wong 2011). There are major implications both environmental and social of a project of this magnitude with an estimated cost of $62 billion dollars (Wong 2011). In the same article it states that the Chinese Government has to relocate 350,000 villagers living in the way of the planned channel being created (Wong 2011). This diversion of river water effects many cities south of the river, places like Bangladesh, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, India, Thailand, and Vietnam (CNN 2010). The exact amount is hard to calculate by other countries but the current demands by China are hurting surrounding countries. As China continues to grow not only in size the buying power China has also increases. The amount of consumption by China is increasing. This has given them the capabilities to afford much more than before. Items Americans take for granted each day in their own homes such as individual bathrooms, washing machines, cars that need washing, and lawn care (CNN 2010). If you imagine how many people there are in China the magnitude of how much more of an increase this will be on water usage alone is enormous. Proper regulation by the Chinese Government has to take in effect the impact they have on the world’s clean water supply.
Much of the same is occurring in India with its population reaching over 1.17 billion and is expected to surpass China by 2030 (Rosenberg, 2011). India uses fresh water reserves and rivers as their main sources of water which are becoming more and more polluted and increasingly scarce as the country becomes more industrialized and urbanized. One statistic that greatly demonstrates the future situation in India if they do not implement plans for better management of the fresh water supply now is “By 2050, per capita water availability in India is expected to drop by about 44% due to growing populations and higher demand, as well as higher pollution levels” (Heimbuch, 2009). Some measures India’s Government can implement now in the Agricultural Sector is to “Improve water usage efficiency in the production of water-intensive crops such as rice, wheat and sugarcane; encourage adoption of techniques such as rain-water harvesting and watershed management in agriculture” (Grail Research, 2009). As the population grows the following is expected to occur in India; “The urban population is expected to grow from 29.2% of the population in 2007 to 55.2% by 2050, Industrialization contribution to the GDP is expected to increase from ~78% in 2000 to ~92% by 2015, and Agriculture production of water-intensive drops is expected to grow by 80% between 2000 and 2050” (Grail Research, 2009). Proper water management now will mean a better future for everyone. “In 2001, the ‘Karntaka Watershed Development Project’ resulted in an increase of 24% in total crop yield” (Grail Research, 2009). More projects like these that increase water use efficiencies will help ease the future situation for billions living in Asia otherwise Asia will face a larger water crisis in the future affecting more than 3 billion people.
In conclusion, as Earth’s population continues to rise exponentially the need for better management is needed by all governments around the world especially China and India. With man-kind hitting a major milestone this past month, according to the BBC the UN estimates that the 7th billion person will be born sometime on October 31, 2011 the need for careful consideration of how we use our fresh water supplies must be looked at or else we face a more dire situation in the future affecting the lives of billions of people. Not only should this be a wakeup call for anyone not paying attention to the world but a call to action that careful consideration now about how we use and maintain our water supplies will most certainly save lives in the future.
References
BBC (2011). Population seven billion: UN sets out challenges. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15459643
Brown, R. L. (2006). Water Scarcity Crossing National Borders. Book Bytes. November 13, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.earth-policy.org/book_bytes/2006/pb2ch03_ss6
CNN (2010). Water shortages reach crisis levels in China. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-13/world/china.water.crisis_1_water-shortages-water-supplies-drinking-water?_s=PM:WORLDPidwirny, M. (2006). "The Hydrologic Cycle". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. November 13, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8b.html
Grail Research. (2009). Water – The India Story. Retrieved PDF report from http://www.grailresearch.com/pdf/ContenPodsPdf/Water-The_India_Story.pdf
Heimbuch, J. (2009). Water Shortages Rising Across the Globe, But Especially in India. Retrieved from http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/water-shortages-rising-across-the-globe-but-especially-india.html
FAO (2011). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAOSTAT. Retrieved from http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx
Rosenberg, M (2011). India’s Population. About. Retrieved from http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/indiapopulation.htm
Wong, E. (2011). Plan for China’s Water Crisis Spurs Concern. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/world/asia/02water.html?pagewanted=all
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