Water is one of the most vital natural resources on earth and every living thing depends on water for survival. The water we drink every day or use in our daily activities has been around in one form or the other since the beginning of time. The earth has more than two-thirds of its surface covered with of water distributed in the oceans, rivers, lakes and streams. Yet, only about 0.3% is available for human consumption. As the human race revolutionaries, there have been inefficient and outdated practices, lack of awareness; plague circumstances have polluted readily accessible water leading water shortage.

In some countries in Africa, a large percentage of individuals have no easy access to fresh water. Many individuals are water stressed. One of the most common methods of acquiring freshwater is by digging holes in riverbeds. The increase in the population size, unsustainable water management, rapid economic growth, and ongoing conflicts, has worsened the water availability for human plants and animals. For example, in the Middle East and North Africa that can host about 6% of the world’s population receives only 2% of the world’s renewable fresh water.  Long term conflict like in the restive North and Southwest Region of Cameroon, children are likely to die from water-related diseases (cholera and diarrhea) than from violence. Attacks on vital water infrastructure led to the collapse of lifesaving water, hygiene, and sanitation systems. Yemen, a country in West Asia has witnessed the largest ever cholera/acute watery diarrhea epidemic in 2017 which infected more than 1.3 million. 

Other causes of water shortage are Climate change, Natural calamities such as droughts and floods, increased human consumption, overuse and wastage of water, global rise in freshwater demand. Other human activities like land reclamation for agricultural practices  such as draining of wet land, clearing of forest and palm trees that recharge water tables in soils has lead to water scarcity. 

In other to protect, preserve, and control the usage of water and its resources we all should come forward to create awareness about conservation of water among our own friends, family, neighbors, society. Some important and easy ways for the conserve water include Closing tap when not in use, checking for the openings or leaks in water distribution pipes, collecting rainwater for gardening or washing purposes, not running more water than necessary while washing and cleaning clothes, utensils, etc. Rainwater should be harvested and stored in areas highly hit long periods of dryness. Also everyone should cultivate the habit of planting at least one tree in their environment. Farmers can also abandon their old farming techniques where they rely only on rain fed agricultural practice and go in for drip irrigation system in their fields.  This will help to prevents water from being wasted by evaporation.

Water conservation is vital for life and effect of water scarcity can cause an imbalance ecosystem. This effect will in turn destabilize the food chains and consequently the biodiversity, For this reason, water preservation is necessary in other to sustain lives and by abiding with water conservative rules, there will be an equitable, accessible and sufficient water for all that can sustain lives.