What is water scarcity?

Water scarcity simply means that water is hard to access.

Water is physically scarce in arid (dry) and semi-arid (partially dry) climates. These places only get rain during specific times of the year, so there is less water.

Where we work, this kind of scarcity is most common in Southeast Kenya, where people typically get their water from rivers. But the rivers disappear during the dry (drought) seasons, leaving people no water source.

But water can also be "scarce" in places with plenty of water because people don't have the money, resources, or infrastructure to access safe, reliable water.

For instance, a community in Kenya might get their water from a nearby spring, but with no structure to protect the spring, the water may be contaminated and make people sick. 

To learn more about water scarcity, click here.

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