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Aug 7, 2019·9 min read
The Ongoing Water Crisis Who Does It Affect – AMPAC USA
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The Ongoing Water Crisis, Who Does It Affect?

Sammy FaragAMPAC USA — August 7, 2019

The Ongoing Water Crisis, Who Does It Affect?

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Quick Answer: The global water crisis affects approximately 2.2 billion people who lack safe drinking water and 3.5 billion who lack adequate sanitation. The burden falls most heavily on rural and peri-urban communities in low-income countries, women and girls, and communities in arid and semi-arid regions facing increasing climate stress.

Wherever you turn, you may have come across some news related to water crisis. It is either lack of it or contaminated water that has been haunting the lives of millions today, but it is there. Cape town was the first to go down when it came horrifyingly close to Day 0, a day when the city starts level 7 of water restrictions. The talks around Day Zero began in late 2017 for the city. At that time, the dams were only at 15-20% of their capacity threatening the lives of so many people. Subsequently in February 2018 and was able to bring down its usage by half to 500 million liters per day. That combined with the generous rains in June 2018 helped the dams to recuperate and refill to 70% of their capacity by September 2018. Post this, the restrictions were loosened a little and Day Zero was delayed. But for how long?

The Unlucky Ones

Cape Town is one of the many examples where despite generous rains, the city came close to potentially run out of water. But not every city or country is that lucky. A major part of Tanzania is in arid and semi-arid regions. 3 of the biggest lakes flank at the borders of the country leaving a large number of its people dependent on other sources, not necessarily hygienic. A lot of the underground water has drainage channels in the neighboring areas causing some of its chemicals to seep into it. It is not always clean and sanitary but nevertheless the only option for the people who have nothing to drink. Even turning to surface for some solace is a dangerous precedent as it is contaminated with the waste of washing clothes, utensils, and human feces. According to the Tanzania National Website, water-borne illnesses, such as malaria and cholera account for over half of the diseases affecting the population. The country has been in a war for the longest time for sanitation but to no avail, today the situation remains the same as it was in the 1970s.

The Ones Without

Ever since the news of Cape Town broke out, countries and organizations began evaluating the management systems on their own. And as it was feared, Cape Town was just the tip of the iceberg. 11 cities around the world are in danger of running out of water soon and more than 20 major global cities are already on high alert. Some of these include Sao Paulo whose main reservoir had only 4% of its capacity full in 2015. Even after efforts put in, by January the reservoir was only at 15% capacity. At the height of its crisis, the city had only 20 days of supply left.

Similar is the case with Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Jakarta, Istanbul, Mexico City, Tokyo, and Miami. In all these cities, either the available sources are contaminated or are not available at all due to lack of management systems, investments, and ongoing drought. The crisis is more worrying for Moscow and London. According to the Greater London Authority, the British capital is likely to have supply problems by 2025 and shortages by 2040. More than a quarter of the world’s available freshwater reserves are in Russia but the country is plagued by the pollution caused in Soviet Industrial era. The city of Moscow like the rest of the country is 70% dependent on the surface sources but the country accepts that 35-60% of its surface water is not safe for consumption or human usage.

Who Does It Affect?

Potentially? Everyone! The water troubles have just begun and everyone is potentially in the lines of fire. The ongoing climate change is not helping and a need for better management systems with conservation initiatives need to begin at the earliest. The situation is about to turn for the worst as the population increases. According to a UN-endorsed report, water demand will exceed the supply by 40% by 2030 thanks to the combined effects of human action, population growth and climate change. The troubles will come to your city the next if steps are not taken immediately. Some of these include

  • Better management and investment systems for the available sources
  • Installation of high-standard water treatment systems to purify the contaminated sources
  • Strict standards for houses with rainwater harvesting systems
  • Better water store equipment to fulfill the needs for future
  • Conservation initiatives for replenishing aquifers, dams, lakes and other sources.

About The Author:
AMPAC USA is a leading water treatment systems manufacturing company striving for 30+ years to provide solutions to the water troubles across the world.

What flow rates are available for emergency water treatment?

AMPAC USA's emergency systems range from 1,500 GPD portable units to 50,000+ GPD trailer-mounted systems. Military-specification units are available for forward operating base deployment, producing potable water meeting EPA and WHO drinking water standards from virtually any source.

Are emergency RO systems suitable for disaster relief operations?

Yes. AMPAC USA's emergency systems are used by FEMA, the U.S. military, and international NGOs for disaster relief. They treat flood water, contaminated groundwater, and brackish sources, removing bacteria, viruses, and chemical contaminants to produce safe drinking water on-site.

What power sources can emergency water purification systems use?

AMPAC USA's emergency systems can run on generator power (120/240V or 480V 3-phase), solar panels with battery backup, or vehicle power take-off (PTO). Low-power models consume as little as 0.5 kW, making them viable for off-grid deployment.

How durable are military-grade water purification systems?

AMPAC USA's military systems are built to MIL-SPEC standards with stainless steel frames, powder-coated components, and UV-resistant materials. They are designed to operate in temperatures from -20°F to 120°F and are vibration-tested for transport in military vehicles.

Conclusion

This post highlighted how emergency and military-grade water purification systems provide safe drinking water rapidly in the most challenging field conditions. For organizations requiring deployable water treatment capability, AMPAC USA engineers portable and trailer-mounted systems built to perform wherever they are needed. Contact our team at [email protected] or (909) 548-4900 to discuss your emergency water treatment requirements.

Who Bears the Burden of the Global Water Crisis

The global water crisis is not a problem of absolute water scarcity — the earth has abundant total water — but of distribution, treatment, infrastructure, and governance. Safe water is unequally distributed: 90% of people in high-income countries have access to safely managed drinking water, compared to less than 30% in many low-income countries. Within countries, urban populations have far higher access rates than rural communities, and the poorest households within cities often pay the highest unit prices for water — purchasing from informal vendors at $1-20 per cubic meter compared to $0.10-0.50 per cubic meter for piped utility connections.

The health consequences of unsafe water are severe and measurable. WHO estimates that 1.7 million children under five die annually from diarrheal diseases, most attributable to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Waterborne diseases including cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, and diarrheal illness caused by E. coli and rotavirus collectively account for an enormous burden of illness in low-income settings. Beyond mortality, water-related illness causes stunting, missed school days, reduced adult economic productivity, and cycles of poverty that compound across generations.

The economic dimension of the water crisis is often underappreciated. The World Bank estimates that water insecurity costs affected countries up to 6% of GDP annually through health costs, agricultural losses, and reduced labor productivity. Investment in water infrastructure has among the highest documented rates of economic return of any development intervention — WHO estimates a $4 return for every $1 invested in water and sanitation. AMPAC USA participates in global water access initiatives through appropriate-technology solutions for developing community water systems at scales and with operational simplicity appropriate for resource-limited settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many people lack access to clean water globally?

A: According to WHO/UNICEF data (2023), approximately 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services, and 3.5 billion lack safely managed sanitation. These numbers have improved significantly over 20 years but large gaps remain, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and rural South Asia.

Q: What diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water?

A: Major waterborne diseases include cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, hepatitis A, and diarrheal illness caused by bacterial (E. coli, Campylobacter), viral (rotavirus, norovirus), and protozoan (Cryptosporidium, Giardia) pathogens. Collectively these cause millions of deaths and billions of illness episodes annually.

Q: Why do the poor pay more for water?

A: Households without piped water connections must purchase from vendors, spend time collecting from distant sources, or use expensive bottled water. The unit cost of water from informal vendors ($1-20 per m3) is often 10-100 times the cost of piped utility water ($0.10-0.50 per m3), creating a perverse economic penalty for poverty.

Q: How does water insecurity affect women and girls?

A: Women and girls bear primary responsibility for water collection in most water-insecure communities, spending hours daily on this task. Inadequate sanitation facilities prevent girls from attending school during menstruation. Waterborne disease disproportionately affects caregivers who are typically women.

Q: Is the global water crisis getting better or worse?

A: Progress is being made — access to improved water sources has expanded significantly since 2000. However, population growth, urbanization, climate change, and groundwater depletion mean that total numbers without adequate water have decreased more slowly than access rates suggest. The quality and reliability dimension of water access is increasingly the limiting factor.

Q: What organizations work on global water access?

A: Key organizations include UNICEF, WHO, Water.org, WaterAid, IRC WASH, the World Bank's Water Global Practice, USAID, and numerous national development agencies. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation by 2030) provides the current international framework.

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