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Water scarcity

About: Water scarcity is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 11579 publications have been published within this topic receiving 228756 citations. The topic is also known as: water shortage.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of fundamental concepts of drought, classification of droughts, drought indices, and the role of remote sensing and geographic information systems for drought evaluation is provided.
Abstract: Beginning with a discussion of drought definitions, this review paper attempts to provide a review of fundamental concepts of drought, classification of droughts, drought indices, and the role of remote sensing and geographic information systems for drought evaluation. Owing to the rise in water demand and looming climate change, recent years have witnessed much focus on global drought scenarios. As a natural hazard, drought is best characterized by multiple climatological and hydrological parameters. An understanding of the relationships between these two sets of parameters is necessary to develop measures for mitigating the impacts of droughts. Droughts are recognized as an environmental disaster and have attracted the attention of environmentalists, ecologists, hydrologists, meteorologists, geologists, and agricultural scientists. Temperatures; high winds; low relative humidity; and timing and characteristics of rains, including distribution of rainy days during crop growing seasons, intensity, and duration of rain, and onset and termination, play a significant role in the occurrence of droughts. In contrast to aridity, which is a permanent feature of climate and is restricted to low rainfall areas, a drought is a temporary aberration. Often, there is confusion between a heat wave and a drought, and the distinction is emphasized between heat wave and drought, noting that a typical time scale associated with a heat wave is on the order of a week, while a drought may persist for months or even years. The combination of a heat wave and a drought has dire socio-economic consequences. Drought risk is a product of a region’s exposure to the natural hazard and its vulnerability to extended periods of water shortage. If nations and regions are to make progress in reducing the serious consequences of drought, they must improve their understanding of the hazard and the factors that influence vulnerability. It is critical for drought-prone regions to better understand their drought climatology (i.e., the probability of drought at different levels of intensity and duration) and establish comprehensive and integrated drought information system that incorporates climate, soil, and water supply factors such as precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, snow pack, reservoir and lake levels, ground water levels, and stream flow. All drought-prone nations should develop national drought policies and preparedness plans that place emphasis on risk management rather than following the traditional approach of crisis management, where the emphasis is on reactive, emergency response measures. Crisis management decreases self-reliance and increases dependence on government and donors.

143 citations

Book
15 Jul 2009
TL;DR: The Indus Valley Civilization (Harappa and Mohenjodaro) flourished along the banks of the Indus as mentioned in this paper, and this precarious, low-level balance between man and water was decisively shifted with the advent of large scale irrigation technology in the nineteenth century.
Abstract: Pakistan is one of the world's most arid countries, with an average rainfall of under 240 mm a year. The population and the economy are heavily dependent on an annual influx into the Indus river system (including the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers) of about 180 billion cubic meters of water, that emanates from the neighboring countries and is mostly derived from snow-melt in the Himalayas. Throughout history, people have adapted to the low and poorly distributed rainfall by either living along river banks or by careful husbanding and management of local water resources. One of the greatest of human civilizations-the Indus Valley Civilization (Harappa and Mohenjodaro) flourished along the banks of the Indus. This precarious, low-level balance between man and water was decisively shifted with the advent of large-scale irrigation technology in the nineteenth century. The Indus irrigation system became the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world. The water economy of Pakistan depends fundamentally on a gigantic and complex hydraulic infrastructure system. Pakistan has overcome major water challenges in the past. Pakistan has a remarkable history of successfully confronting major water challenges. There are now a set of related challenges which have to be addressed how to maintain what has been built, what major new system-wide infrastructure needs to be built, what infrastructure needs to be built for populations who have not been served and for environmental protection, and how to build institutions that will manage the resource effectively in the looming era of scarcity. Pakistan needs to develop its indigenous capacity and make a major push to establish and nurture a new set of institutions that will provide the scientific, technical, and policy support for the management of increasingly scarce water. Experience in other countries shows that if this is not done there will be serious economic, social, and environmental consequences.

142 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a comprehensive overview about the current state of knowledge about water resources and their management in Central Asia and present case studies looking at the Selenga-Baikal-Angara Basin, the Lake Aral Basin including the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river systems, the Tarim and the Illi River Basins.
Abstract: Large parts of Central Asia are characterized by a semiarid to arid climate. Therefore, areas close to shallow groundwater, rivers and lakes are characterized by unique water-dependent ecosystems and human societies which have developed over millennia in close interaction with the naturally limited water resources. In the early 21st century, global climate change, population growth, river damming, large-scale water abstractions and rising levels of pollution exert multiple pressures on the region’s water resources, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems at historically high levels. Water scarcity threatens the livelihood of populations locally and in transboundary settings by a growing competition over a limited resource. This context is of particular importance since all major rivers of the region cross at least one international border. The complexity and character of water-related challenges in the region mean that management approaches need to be integrative, taking into account the natural resource basis, environmental limits and the socio-cultural and geopolitical dimension. This paper frames the thematic issue of Environmental Earth Sciences and provides a comprehensive overview about the current state of knowledge about water resources and their management in Central Asia. There is a focus on case studies looking at the Selenga–Baikal–Angara Basin, the Lake Aral Basin including the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river systems, the Tarim and the Illi River Basins. Aiming to be an up-to-date interdisciplinary scientific reference on the region’s water-related challenges, this thematic issue gives theoretical and practical insights into solutions and best practice examples of water management.

142 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined institutional barriers and bridges to local climate change impacts adaptation affecting small rural municipalities and Conservation Authorities (CAs) in Eastern Ontario (Canada) and proposed elements of a community-based adaptation strategy related to water infrastructures.
Abstract: Institutional barriers and bridges to local climate change impacts adaptation affecting small rural municipalities and Conservation Authorities (CAs are watershed agencies) in Eastern Ontario (Canada) are examined, and elements of a community-based adaptation strategy related to water infrastructures are proposed as a case-study in community adaptation to climate change. No general water scarcity is expected for the region even under unusually dry weather scenarios. Localized quantity and quality problems are likely to occur especially in groundwater recharge areas. Some existing institutions can be relied on by municipalities to build an effective adaptation strategy based on a watershed/region perspective, on their credibility, and on their expertise. Windows of opportunity or framing issues are offered at the provincial level, the most relevant one in a federal state, by municipal emergency plan requirements and pending watershed source water protection legislation. Voluntary and soon to be mandated climate change mitigation programs at the federal level are other ones.

142 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: New quantification and valuation methods that take more account of human well-being and environmental impacts are illustrated and provide the foundation for incorporating relevant social factors so that water policies and laws can be developed to make best use of limited water resources.
Abstract: Human uses of freshwater resources are increasing rapidly as the world population rises. As this happens, less water is left to support aquatic and associated ecosystems. To minimize future human w...

142 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023562
20221,098
2021951
2020879
2019814
2018735