Where Did the Water Go?

Each person progresses through their lives learning that they should strive for a good education, a well paying job, and a beautiful family. However, becoming successful isn't the only thing that should be on a person's mind especially as the planet we inhabit is seemingly in a warming cycle. What one should really be concerned about is the effect of a worldwide shortage of a general commodity could have on them and how they would adapt to such a crisis. Some people believe things happen for a reason, and others believe they make their own destiny, but I believe what matters most is what someone does with that belief. Taking something for granted is a common occurrence, in fact most people are guilty of it, but what happens when that something that was taken for granted becomes close to unattainable. Water is something that has been taken for granted for many years because it is all around us. Walk to the borders of each continent and there will be water for as far as the eye can see. Nobody would ever suspect a fresh drinkable water shortage being just around the corner. With the worlds' population approaching eight billion people there will be new challenges in terms of providing the bare necessities to mankind. Providing these necessities requires numerous and multiple resources, including fresh, clean water upon which all life on Earth depends. The dilemma before us is not how to stop water depletion but rather, what happens when it's almost gone. If water was scarce would riots break out? Would cities become uninhabitable? Would countries generate a monopoly of water to sell at inflated prices? How many people would die, hundreds, thousands, millions? Riots and protests are a common occurrence in the history of civilization that date back to the beginning of mankind. People would riot and protest because of food shortages, taxes, corrupt governments, or simply out of anger, and if a severe water shortage were to occur the likelihood of riots and protests would increase dramatically. The depletion of clean, fresh water would make citizens in every country, on every continent, frustrated and angry that their leaders did nothing to prevent such a situation. The Romans used to say that even the very powerful would have need of the weak, meaning that those in high seats of power need the support of the masses in order to impose their laws and beliefs. Being proactive, countries' governments could establish a new way to ration water to the masses but without support of the public for a new system of water conservation, riots may break out and cause mass chaos in every country affected. Certain cities and countries would be severely impacted by decreased water supplies. Las Vegas for example, would become near uninhabitable because if Hoover Dam, a major hydroelectric producer were to have little or no water to generate power, there wouldn't be enough power to maintain its population of 1.3 million people or 500,000 homes. Additionally, With the depletion of the rivers there would be no way to successfully provide irrigation to all of the farmlands and food supplies would diminish significantly. The continent of Africa could be the hardest hit by significant and prolonged water shortages considering that the majority of the continent is already suffering from