The world water crisis

Water connects every aspect of life, it fuels our economy, guarantees our national security, and keeps us alive. Access to safe water and sanitation can quickly turn problems into potential – unlocking education, work opportunities, and improved health for women, children and families across South Africa, and the world. Water is an active force. It is powerful and when used wisely, it can change the world. But before we can solve the crisis we need to understand the problem.

  • Ground water is getting deeper and deeper, more contaminated,
  • Surface water is becoming more contaminated, and
  • the atmosphere contains the cleanest, most easily accessible, and abundant source of water.

Want to know more about the world Water crisis?  Here are the facts:

How much water is in the World?

Water covers about 71 percent of the Earth. 97 percent of that is ocean water.

How much of the water in the World is drinkable?

3 percent of all the water on the planet is freshwater and it is drinkable.

What makes up Surface water?

2 percent is available in rivers, 11 percent in swamps and 87 percent in lakes and dams.

How many people in the World have access to clean water?

Out of around 7 billion people in the world, only about 6 billion of them have clean water.

How many people in the World have access to clean water?


How many people in the World do not have access to clean water?

663 million people in the world lack access to clean water. That is 1 person without safe water out of every 10 people with it.

How many people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to clean water?

Only about half of the population in sub-Saharan Africa has access to clean water! And 37% of the world’s total of 663 million people without clean water live in sub-Saharan Africa.

How does a lack of safe drinking water affect people’s health?


How does providing clean water solve health issues?

If the world did nothing besides just providing access to clean water, without any other medical involvement, we could save 2 million lives per year.

   How does dirty water affect the Economy?

Education is essential for short and long-term economic progress. No country has succeeded in rapid and sustaining economic growth without at least 40% of literate adults. Not having access to clean water and sanitation systems lowers school attendance rates and increases risk of disease and death, meaning GDP also lowers.

   How does providing clean water solve Economic issues?

Every 1 dollar spent on better access to water and sanitation systems generates about 8 more dollars in costs avoided and productivity gained.

So, what are the alternatives?

Existing Alternatives

   Rain Water Harvesting

  • Domestic and Commercial application
  • Needs large storage capacity of water and reliable rainfall patterns

   Atmospheric Harvesting

  • Practised in some coastal areas
  • Requires no electrical input (i.e. near-zero OPEX) but requires large surface areas for collection of economic amounts

   Seawater Reverse Osmosis

  • Process of generating fresh water from saline/brackish water
  • Requires relatively high CAPEX and OPEX (i.e. power, maintenance)
  • Brine disposal is required, adding to OPEX
  • Is limited to coastal areas, in general

  Grey Water Reclamation

  • Is limited in its applications, cannot be used as potable water without treatment
  • Requires a raw water input (e.g. municipal water)

   Water Quality

Water quality used to be a nonissue. But with pharmaceuticals in water supplies, the effects of chlorine, industrial and biological contamination, an aging water distribution infrastructure and naturally occurring substances that degrade the taste and feel of water...we're all thinking about the quality of our water more than ever.

Water quality varies from location to location, the following are some examples of factors that may impact water quality

   Bacteria – most bacteria do not cause harm to humans but must always be guarded against. Bacteria that survive in water, do not survive in the air and bacteria that survive in the air, do not survive in water

   Protozoa – are the major cause of stomach ailments and primarily are introduced through water consumption. Examples of protozoa, are bilharzia, cholera, E. coli and malaria. Protozoa survive and multiply in water, soil, human and animal guts. Protozoa cannot survive in the air.

   Minerals – most minerals in ground water are not harmful to humans but according to SANS and WHO standards for potable water, although in very small quantities, over a period of time, these can collect in the human body to create problems

   Chlorine – is the only known effective way for governments and municipalities to clean large amounts of bulk water for human consumption. Chlorine is the biggest cause of cancer in humans when water is consumed

It’s no wonder many of us now think twice before taking a sip from the tap today. Bottled water may be a popular alternative, but it’s expensive and creates waste that’s hard on the environment. Fortunately, with Cirrus Water we can provide you with fresh, clean, great-tasting water without worry or concern.