Water Scarcity and the Yenadi
- Isaiah Malcolm
- Nov 12
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
When the well is dry, we know the worth of water. — Benjamin Franklin
“Planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do.” At least that’s what David Bowie said in Space Oddity. Our home is often called the Blue Planet, owing to the fact that 71% of its surface is made up of water. Yet according to UNICEF estimates, almost four billion people face water shortages for at least one month each year. Of course, the vast majority of water on the earth’s surface is found in the ocean where high salinity makes it unusable for drinking, cooking, and other essential purposes. Water scarcity does not just concern access to water but access to clean and safe water. More than 95% of Earth’s water is oceanic and much of the remaining freshwater is found in glaciers. So where does the water we use come from? Let’s dive in.
▲ Record breaking global drought severity in 2023 according to the Palmer Self-Calibrating Drought Severity Index. Image: NOAA
Most potable water comes from either surface water (rivers and lakes) or ground water (aquifers and water tables). Typically this water undergoes some amount of treatment before being sent to nearby cities for drinking, cooking, bathing, or washing as well as non-residential uses like industrial boilers and commercial irrigation. However, it is worth noting that there are times where rivers, lakes, and aquifers are not easily usable for drinking. In coastal areas, saltwater from the ocean tends to make its way into ground water (a phenomenon known as saltwater intrusion). Similarly, rivers often see increased salinity where they meet the ocean and some lakes are naturally saline. On top of that, rivers and lakes are prone to seasonal changes in water quality as rainwater often carries contaminants from the surrounding area. These factors do not make treating these sources impossible; they just highlight challenges that can arise and contribute to making such a vital resource so abundant yet so scarce.
Water tends to follow a cycle. Most water eventually evaporates and then returns as rain which helps fill up rivers, lakes, and aquifers. However, what happens if we pull from these sources faster than the rain can fill it? What happens if there’s a drought? Such things can and do contribute to water scarcity around the world. As our population continues to grow, we need to think about ways to carefully use water and investigate other options. There are other sources (such as seawater, stormwater, and various kinds of wastewater) but these are not used as frequently due to costs and other barriers that prevent their widespread implementation (aside from a few countries who lack access to otherwise typical sources).
▲ A map depicting water stress around the world. Image: WRI
There’s another major factor that can influence access to drinking water: contamination. You’ve seen countless news articles: a manufacturing plant for plastics leaks toxic chemicals into a local water supply, a refinery leaks oil into the water table over the course of many years, a municipal plant’s lack of maintenance results in increased lead content in local taps; they seem to come all too often. While water scarcity may seem like an issue that only affects less developed parts of the world, these examples can and do strike anywhere. The term "water stress" is used to describe situations where water demand exceeds the available local supply and this can be observed across the world. Industry isn’t shrinking and neither is its demand for water or its production of wastewater. Finding alternative sources of water (such as reuse) and ensuring that wastewater is properly treated and handled is crucial to our lives and the lives of future generations.
The direct impact of water scarcity is straightforward. A lack of water leads to dehydration, illness, and ultimately death. However, there are other consequences to consider. Communities plagued by water scarcity often see disproportionate impact among women and children who frequently walk long distances to collect clean water. These regular trips greatly inhibit their ability to work and attend school. Furthermore, these long treks are a great physical strain which can expose women and children to other dangers such kidnapping, rape, robbery, and many other things. These issues frequently afflict the Yenadi communities of Andhra Pradesh.
Many Yenadi communities do not have access to municipal water which is treated according to India’s national drinking water standards. This is due to a combination of cost, limited rural access, and ostracization. As a result, many communities utilize wells but these are not always safe. Along the coastal regions, water tables incur saltwater intrusion. In other cases, improperly disposed industrial wastewater has polluted surface water and contamination from pesticides has polluted ground water. On top of all this, some wells have been found to dry up during seasonal droughts. What options are left for these communities? Some have municipal water trucked into the village. However, not all villages can afford this and the delivery is not always reliable. Some drink from contaminated sources despite the risk of illness. Others make long treks to retrieve water from clean wells.
▲ Due to the water shortage that resulted in the deaths of five seniors in 2024, SFIRD and RH initiated the "Access to Water" program, supplying water to villages to alleviate the scarcity of drinking water.
Please read these articles that led to establishing the "Access to Water":
Every year villages in the Bapatla region suffer deaths on account of heatstroke, dehydration and waterborne diseases. In order to alleviate this, SFIRD has worked to install wells in key locations that provide access to clean water and has worked with municipal entities to transport water to communities in need. In order to further this effort, we at Restoration Humanity are partnering with SFIRD to expand the network of wells, upgrade and repair existing wells and pumps, and construct soakage pits to properly handle excess water (which often stagnates and leads to waterborne diseases).
A single well may seem like a small thing but it can be the difference between life and death, between days spent in school and days spent retrieving water. Our goal is to have these 115 wells ready before summer next year so that we can help provide access to water for those affected by droughts and floods. We hope that this access to water will reduce dehydration and heatstroke, waterborne diseases, long journeys to get water and help promote education and skills training. In the words of Robert F. Kennedy, "Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world."
In the next blog RH will outline how the "Black Molly's Access to Water Project" will be meted out.
Thank you for being a part of this inspiring journey!
If you would like to know more: more.info@rhlife.org
To donate to Restoration Humanity: www.rhlife.org/donate
Website: https://www.rhlife.org
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