Map Essay Analysis: Water Crisis

Water Crisis  

Water crisis has become a critical issue across the globe today. The problem continues to become worse due to population growth and economic production. Water and its availability in North Africa and Southwest Asia remain one of the biggest challenges in the region. The book “World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography” by Nijman, Muller, and De Blij and the article, “The Atlas of Water: Mapping the World's Most Critical Resource” by Maggie Black, offer a comprehensive perspective of water issues all over the world. Both the book and Black’s article provide extensive information and maps that play a crucial role in helping us understand the challenges faced in North Africa and Southwest Asia as well as the different regions around the world in matters related to water management.  

Black provides a detailed view of the world's water resources and challenges related to water management. A number of regions such as Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, are experiencing significant water scarcity, which is expected to worsen due to population growth and climate change in the coming years. On the first map, she illustrates the problem of water dependency in most nations. Focusing on the North Africa and Southwest Asia realm (NASWA), we see from the map that most of the Countries have a varying percentage of dependency on renewable water resources outside their landmass. The highest percent is on Egypt, Mauritania, Qatar, Kuwait, Romania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Pakistan with 75% or more dependency. This is followed by other nations such as Israel, Syria and Iraq with a 50% -74 % dependency and then other nations like India with 24%-49% dependency (Black, 2016). The countries with high dependency from the sources outside their country are more vulnerable to conflict with the users upstream as well as natural shortage. 

The article also discusses the challenges associated with water management for agriculture. Approximately 70 percent of the world's freshwater resources are used by agriculture, and the maps show that many rely heavily on irrigation, thereby depleting groundwater sources. As shown in the map under water for irrigation, most of the 61% of the nations in the North Africa and Middle East depend on rivers and Aquifers as sources of water for Agriculture. An example is Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Libya where amount withdrawn from aquifers and rivers for agricultural use is depicted at 1000 or more cubic metres per person per year (Black,2016). Over-extracting of groundwater can result in subsidence. A major issue highlighted in Black's article is the increasing demand for water resources, caused by population growth and economic development. It is projected that two-thirds of the world's population will be under water stress by 2025, as water demand will exceed supply in many regions. The challenge is especially acute in North Africa, where population growth is forecast to be high during the coming decades, and water resources are already stressed. 

On the other hand, “The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography” offers a wide-ranging look at NASWA Realm and their water issues. Nijman et al. illustrates the distribution of economic activity and population around the world, highlighting areas in which growth has been concentrated. In the Middle East, for instance, several countries have experienced high economic growth, along with growing populations and urban centers such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar due to Oil production (Nijman et al. 2016). The growing economies and populations of these countries pose a significant challenge to their water resources management. In figure 7.7, the map illustrates the global water need and desalination. From the map, the oil rich nations such as Saudi Arabia depict extremely high capacity of desalination. 

It is evident from the maps that many regions around the NASWA realm are experiencing significant water scarcity and stress, and the situation will only worsen. Water management is significantly challenged by the growth of the population and economic production. In response to population growth, water demand for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes will rise, increasing pressure on scarce water resources. In major river basins shared by Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan, there is potential for conflict and high competition among farmers, urban consumers and industrial use. Agriculture and industrial production require enormous quantities of water which will lead to increased water scarcity and stress as demand for these products increases. Another challenge is ecological degradation as a result of heavy use of irrigation in arid area. An example is in Iraq where salt leaked to the surface rendering the land infertile (Black,2016). In North Africa, geography and cost limits the construction of major hydraulic structures. 

In conclusion, both the article “Atlas of Water” and the book “The World Today” provide insights into the water challenges faced in different regions of the globe particularly North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as the challenges associated with population growth and economic development. To overcome these challenges, we must invest in water infrastructure and technology, make policy changes to promote more sustainable economic development, and change cultural attitudes and behaviors connected to water consumption. Achieving these challenges is key to ensuring the sustainability and availability of water resources in the future.       

References 

Black, M. (2016). The atlas of water: mapping the World's most critical resource. Univ of California Press 

Nijman, J., Muller, P. O., & De Blij, H. J. (2016). The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography