Water, which was once, cheap and in unlimited quantities is fast becoming a scarce resource globally. Natural resources like rivers have dried up while underground aquifers are sinking fast as a result of the “virtual water trade”. Drought is on the rise worldwide as a result of climate change thus food production becomes a serious challenge. Australia, the largest “virtual water” exporter in the world, has seen a drop in food production as a result of water shortage. Most farmers in Australia irrigate their farms to produce rice, wheat, and other foodstuff for export which results in a “virtual water trade”. This is so because foodstuffs and clothing produced from plant products require lots of water to grow which is then exported worldwide.
With countries facing a hydrological crisis, governments have engaged in massive engineering projects to transfer water from various rivers to support agriculture in the drier parts of the country. With the demise of the Yellow River in China, the government started a project to transfer water from the Yangtze River to the northern plains of the country to support farming activities. This massive project will see China spend a whopping $60 billion, which the government sees as an answer to the frequent water shortages facing the country. India is developing a bigger project than the one in China with a couple of dams and canals. Water will be transported to the arid southern part of the country to increase irrigation by 50% as well as, to produce over 33,000 megawatts of power. In the U.S., corn is converted to biofuel, which contributes to food shortages in the world.
These massive projects have come under heavy criticism since they deplete more water than conserving it. In China, critics believe the government should have looked for ways of conserving water instead of investing in massive projects that deplete more water. Bangladesh has accused India of not honoring the agreement not to build more dams on the rivers since they use water from the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and other rivers to irrigate and recharge its aquifers. The construction of dams and canals in India will lead to irrigation fields drying up in Bangladesh. In the U.S., corn should be used as food, but not as a biofuel since it consumes a lot of water thus contributing to food shortage.
Apart from these criticisms, there have been some successful projects completed. The construction of Hoover Dam was the first Integrated Resource and Environmental Management (IREM) project that is widely accepted. The dam is designed to produce electricity, control floodwaters, and supply irrigation water to lower the Colorado River. The massive projects taking place in China, India, and other countries in the world should have undergone Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to assess and determine the impact they will have on the environment. Water conservation will help curb food shortages in the world instead of diverting and transporting water from rivers.