As we know, only 3% of all the water in the world is drinkable and much of this amount is found in areas that are difficult or impossible to capture, especially glaciers. Therefore, this natural resource is very much in demand, as it is essential for the maintenance of life.
Likewise, it is important to remember that this feature is not evenly distributed. While some regions have large reserves, others live with scarcity. Below we can observe a list of places where this situation is most critical, according to UNESCO, with the amount per capita of water per country, that is, the availability of water for each inhabitant.
List of top ten countries with least water per capita
The situation in Kuwait is really dramatic. The country located on the Persian Gulf coexists with practically no water reserves and is seen in a large area. dilemma regarding the two main natural resources of today in strategic terms: oil and Water. The former is abundant in the country, which contributed to many countries coveting its territory, including the disputes of the Gulf War. The second, as we have seen, is scarce and makes the country have to import large quantities for consumption and use in its economic activities.
In fact, there are no water reserves in Kuwait in the form of rivers and lakes or even aquifers, given that the country is surrounded by a desert area that flows into the sea. Thus, in addition to importing water, Kuwait also practices the technique of desalination of sea water in order to combat its permanent water crisis.
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The desalination technique, in fact, seems to be the most suitable and sought after solution by the countries of the Middle East that suffer from the low availability of water. In the United Arab Emirates, second in the ranking above, the technique is widely used and receives many investments, mainly in Dubai. According to local authorities, the country must invest hundreds of millions of dollars in desalination systems and also in water treatment.
It must be considered, however, that the ranking above does not refer to countries with less availability of water in absolute terms, but in quantitative proportions to their respective populations. In addition, other information was also considered, such as variations in availability throughout the year and the distribution of resources within countries. Furthermore, the size of the area of the territories was not taken into account, but only the relationship between the resource and demography.
In addition to the problems of lack of water in terms of natural availability, it is also necessary to emphasize that there are many countries that suffer from the absence of this resource both because of pollution and poor management due to economic problems and non-investment in infrastructure for the collection and distribution of water from the springs. There is, thus, the hydrical stress in various parts of the planet.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "Countries that have the least potable water"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/paises-que-menos-possuem-agua-potavel.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
