Water Woes: Are we undervaluing our blue gold?

Scarcity of safe, drinking water is an issue that troubles millions across the world. According to some estimates, 2 billion people live in countries experiencing water stress, and 4 billion are inhabitants of areas that suffer from severe water scarcity. The main culprits behind the lack of access to clean water include poor rainfall due to climate change and high pollution levels in drinking water among others. Melting of glaciers is also contributing to our water woes by triggering flash floods and reducing water supply. However, there is another potential cause behind this problem too: Misuse of water. According to the World Water Development Report 2021, people waste water because they tend to think only of what it costs in monetary terms.