eli5: If we have methods like desalination, why is the world suffering from a water shortage, when 70% of the Earth is water?

Question

Even though the water is saline, to the best of my understanding, you can convert saltwater into freshwater so why is there a water crisis?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You skip a whole lot of points if you only intend to desalinize water, which by itself is already a process that takes time, and money. You also need to make sure the water is safe to use, so you might want to filter and/or clean it.

Add to that the sheer volume of water you want to desalinize, and you start to run in to conflicts if you look at f.e. poorer countries.