Sustainable Societies

Water

Water has become the most critical natural resource issue facing most parts of the world. Water is the lifeblood of the earth. Every living being drinks it. Every living creature has the right to it. 

World population has passed six billion and United Nation's projections indicate nine billion by 2050. As populations grow, industrial, agricultural and individual water demands escalate. According to the World Bank, globally demand for water is doubling every 21 years, even more in some regions. The supply of freshwater is finite and will not be able to keep pace with demand as populations soar and cities grow.

Population growth is not the only reason for increased water demand. Since 1900, there has also been a six-fold increase in water use for only a two-fold increase in population size. This reflects greater water usage associated with rising standards of living. It also reflects potentially unsustainable levels of irrigated agriculture. 

Meanwhile many countries suffer accelerating desertification. Water quality is deteriorating in many areas of the developing world as population increases and salinity caused by industrial farming and over-extraction rises. About 95 percent of the world's cities still dump raw sewage into their waters.

Climate change represents a wild card in this developing scenario. With higher temperatures and more rapid melting of winter snow packs, less water supplies will be available to farms and cities during summer months when demand is high.