Question

Argue whether developing or developed nations are more susceptible to water crises. Give at least 2 specific examples to support your answer.

Answer 1

Developing countries are more susceptible to water crises. Rainfall is typically highly variable at both spatial and temporal scales. Climate change is increasing this variability. Countries with arid environments suffer most from highly variable rainfall, and these countries are predominantly developing countries. Developed countries have infrastructure and resources to be able to plan for and manage a water crisis. For example, recent droughts in Australia have been managed by developing new sources of bulk water supply, such as seawater desalination plants. However, developing countries in contrast often don't have the infrastructure and resources to manage a water crisis. An example are the floods that hit Nigeria in 2017. These floods were made more damaging by lack of storm water drainage in cities in Nigeria.