August 30, 2021

The worrying nexus between water and global migration

topic:	Food Security
located:	Brazil, India, South Africa, Iraq
editor:	Bob Koigi

While global headlines have covered the severe water shortages in metropolitan cities like Chennai in India, Basra in Iraq, São Paulo in Brazil and Cape Town in South Africa, other smaller and less known cities have also struggled with the same fate - all while housing an increasing number of migrants displaced from areas with water scarcity.  

A recent report by the World Bank, dubbed Ebb and Flow, has painted a picture of the severity of the water inadequacy, indicating that lack of water has contributed up to 10 percent of the rise in world migration. 

Drought that has now reached epidemic proportions, the report notes, will have an impact on an estimated 700 million people by the end of this century, impacting over 85 percent of the population in middle and low income countries.

As experts grapple with policies and interventions that will guarantee sustainable management of the limited resource - enhancing long term water security and ensuring that water doesn’t become a catalyst for future conflicts - the onus is also on world citizens to be part of the solution. 

Simple practices like waste-water recycling, harvesting, underground water storage,  taming water demand and prudential water usage will go a long way in boosting long term water management.  Every drop matters - now more than ever. 

Photo by Brad Helmink 

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