How Famine Started in Somalia: A Simple Model of Fresh Water Use

Water is the origin of life on our planet and therefore the most valued and essential natural resource for sustaining life on earth. Human uses of freshwater include not only drinking, washing, and other daily domestic activities, but also manufacturing, energy production, agriculture, aquaculture, etc. Though our planet is 97% water, only a minute portion of this is available as freshwater to be used for anthropogenic necessities and the rate at which the natural system can filter and replenish the freshwater supply cannot compete with the rate of demand. That is why special attention must be given to availability of freshwater at present time and in future. We constructed a fairly elementary model of the water cycle while we were working on a more sophisticated water model that includes several additional details. Upon introducing data from different regions of the world (including United States) into our simple model and running simulations, we can gain insight into the future of water sources and availability of freshwater. In particular, we are able to simulate how drought can result in famine, a catastrophe currently taking place in certain areas of Somalia.