Agree, yeah. Despite the lead of "more than a third of the world’s population lives in drylands", I would see this as being much more applicable to transient us

Agree, yeah. Despite the lead of "more than a third of the world’s population lives in drylands", I would see this as being much more applicable to transient usage than long term. A few litres of lukewarm water per day would be perfect for backcountry camping, or topping up the reservoir in an RV, or something. But for anywhere even remotely permanent it almost certainly makes more sense to dig a well.