Water scarcity refers to the lack of fresh water resources to meet water demand. Thomas S. Eliot (1888–1965) reported that “Drought is the death of the earth”. The disruption of agriculture and social order by intense and prolonged droughts, called megadroughts, appears to have dictated the cultural time horizons of several civilizations [1]. In prehistoric times, for example the Hittite Empire, the Egyptians of the Pharaohs, and other civilizations collapsed due to the prevalence of intense and prolonged droughts that occurred in their lowlands [2]. Later, the Mayas; Salinas Puebloans; and the Khmer Empire, also known as the Angkor civilization, collapsed from the impacts of megadroughts [1,3–5]. In more recent history, the Dust Bowl (1930–1936) was the driest and hottest drought that hit the USA with significant and long-lasting effects in land productivity and society [6]. In line, intense droughts have hit Europe, the USA, and Australia in recent years, with significant socio-economic, environmental, and ecological impacts [7–9]