Water Scarcity - the Driving Force of Underdevelopment in Rural Areas of Developing Countries

Water scarcity results to socio-economic problems and health complications. Attempts at solving water scarcity problems, such as groundwater extraction and stream damming, are not easily attainable in some locations due to geological formations and hydrologic features. The aim of this study is to investigate health and socioeconomic effects, causes and remedy of water scarcity in rural communities with difficult geological terrains. Water demand, water usage, population, and consequences of water scarcity were investigated through structured questionnaires. Data on water related diseases, topography, geology, rainfall and runoff were obtained and analysed. Malaria remained the highest occurring water related diseases in the study area and these were prevalent during wet seasons. The viable option to curb water scarcity in such environment is runoff harvesting and treatments. Keywords— Water Scarcity, Water related diseases, Geological formation, Water Quality, Water Quantity,