Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet water needs within a region. Water scarcity involves water stress, water shortage or deficits, and water crisis.

Effects
Health
In many developing countries, people are forced to drink low quality water from flowing streams, many of which are contaminated. There are many water-borne disease that people die of.

Hunger
It takes a lot of water to grow food and care for animals. Experts say that globally we use 70% of our water sources for agriculture and irrigation, and only 10% on domestic uses.It means farm animals will die and others will not do well without water. The result is constant hunger and thirst and low quality of life.

Poverty
Access to quality water is key to economic prosperity and better living standards. Businesses and schools thrive when people come to work on time and not have to spend all morning looking for water. Lack of water means no economic activities will happen and the people will be in constant poverty.

Sanitation Issues
Without access to clean water, there is no way to clean food, dishes, or people. When people are not given access to proper sanitation, disease ends up becoming much more of an issue than it would have been otherwise.

Solutions
Recycle Water
There are plenty of technologies out there that allow you to recycle rainwater and other water that you may be using in your home. Consider learning about how you can recycle water. Not only does it help to prevent scarcity, but it can save you some money as well.

Improve Sewage Systems
Clean drinking water starts with a good sewage system. Without proper sanitation, the water in an area becomes ridden with disease and any number of other problems. By improving the sewage systems in these areas, we can prevent water scarcity from becoming any worse.

Support Clean Water Initiatives
There are organizations located all over the world that are looking to bring clean water to areas that don’t have it. Consider donating to these organizations, either with your time, your skills, or your finances.

Improve Practices Related to Farming
Farming and irrigation are often a huge culprit when it comes to water scarcity. Because of that, we need to improve practices so that we don’t use as much water and those who are using water are using it to its fullest potential. Technology also needs to advance in this manner.