Water Crisis in Australia: Causes and Solutions

This paper discusses the three issues related to the water crisis of Australia and its possible solutions. The issues are water scarcity, pollution, and urban growth. The solutions include investigating low rainfall, implementing technologies to stop excessive water evaporation, making farmers aware of the consequences of using excessive fertilizers, implementing proper water management plans, and planning the extended town in a proper way.

Running head: WATER CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA
WATER CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA
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1WATER CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA
Introduction
Australia has become one of the driest areas of the world. Many rivers are disappearing
and the canals are becoming empty (Green et al.,2015). The crisis of the water also effecting the
livestock and the framers of the country. The experts are indicating the pollution and the climate
change as the factors for this crisis. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the three issues
related to the water crisis of Australia and its possible solutions.
Discussion
There are major water management problems present in Australia which are causing the
water shortage. These issue are effecting the main source of the water supply in Australia. Some
of these issues are-
Water Scarcity:
Australia is considered one of the driest places in the World. Recently the continent is
observing the uneven rainfall in the different parts of the country. This leads to the shortage of
water in the rivers and the cannels (Grafton, Horne & Wheeler, 2016). Along with that it is also
effecting the flood and the drought cycle of Australia. Apart form the low rainfall, the
evaporation of the water is another major cause of the low water storage in the dams and the
rivers. Due to the warm temperature of the country, most of the waters are getting evaporated
from the rivers and cannels.
Solution:
The rate of low rain fall can be investigated (Fuenfschilling & Truffer, 2016). However,
the climate for the rain can not be manipulated by the technology. However, there are certain

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technologies those can stop the excessive water evaporation from the rivers and the canal. The
application of those technologies can be beneficial in this case.
Pollution:
Another cause of the water crisis is the pollution (Review, 2018). The use of the
excessive fertilizers are contaminating the river and cannel water. This contaminated water can
not be used for the drinking or any other healthy purpose. In this case the crisis of water is
happening.
Solution:
The framers can be made aware about the consequences of using excessive fertilizers.
Apart from that the usage of the organic fertilizer can be implemented to get the sustainable
solutions. Apart form that the waste from the field can be treated carefully so that they do not
get mixed up with the river water.
Urban Growth:
Urban growth is also effecting the quality of the water. The planning of the extended city
is not happening in proper way. In this context the natural resources of the water along with the
sources of the ground water is also getting destroyed. This leads to the degradation of the quality
of the water. Apart from decreasing the sources of the water, the population of the country is
growing which can considered as the indirect cause of the water crisis (Bennett,2016). Apart
from that in most case the proper management of the water resources is not present.
Solution:

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The planning of the extended town is needed to be done in a proper way. Apart from that
the sources of the ground water and the natural water are needed to be kept reserved. The
implementation of the proper water management plan will help to utilize the water as a resource
in an effective way.
Conclusion
The discussion is regarding the water crisis in Australia. Three issues regarding this have
been discussed along with their solutions. It can be said that the implementation of the solutions
will help to mitigate the water crisis in Australia.

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References
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MURRAY-DARLING BASIN. Natural Resource Conflicts: From Blood Diamonds to
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Fuenfschilling, L., & Truffer, B. (2016). The interplay of institutions, actors and technologies in
socio-technical systems—An analysis of transformations in the Australian urban water
sector. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 103, 298-312.
Grafton, R. Q., Horne, J., & Wheeler, S. A. (2016). On the marketisation of water: evidence from
the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. Water Resources Management, 30(3), 913-926.
Green, P. A., Vörösmarty, C. J., Harrison, I., Farrell, T., Sáenz, L., & Fekete, B. M. (2015).
Freshwater ecosystem services supporting humans: Pivoting from water crisis to water
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Review, A. (2018). Tackling our water issues with data. Retrieved from
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/using-data-to-solve-australias-
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www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/using-data-to-solve-australias-water-
scarcity-issues/news-story/a67a93fc7eb94617a925b64d7cbc286e