Water scarcity highlighted in new report
When you think of a scarce natural resource, you might think of a rare plant or animal species, or even fossil fuels as the price of oil continues to rise. However, a more fundamental natural resource is becoming increasingly important and scarce - water. Water is essential for all life on Earth - as essential as sunlight or oxygen. The new Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture report, presented to the World Water Week conference in Stockholm on August 21, finds that up to one in three people is facing some sort of water scarcity now. Previous models had not predicted this to happen until 2025. 'Worrisome predictions in 2000 had forecast that one third of the world population would be affected by water scarcity by 2025. Our findings from the just-concluded research show the situation to be even worse,' said Frank Rijsberman, director general of the International Water Management Institute. 'Already in 2005, more than a third of the world population is affected by water scarcity. We will have to change business as usual in order to deal with growing scarcity water crisis we see in some countries like India, China and the Colorado River basin of the USA and Mexico,' he said. The huge study - carried out by 700 experts over five years - pinpointed areas where groundwater levels are falling, rivers or lakes are shrinking or where water can simply not be obtained due to a lack of infrastructure. 'Our results show that one quarter of the world's population live in river basins where water is physically scarce - water is over-used and people are affected by environmental consequences from falling groundwater levels to drying rivers that no longer reach the sea. Another billion people live in river basins where water is economically scarce - water is available in rivers and aquifers, but the infrastructure is lacking to make this water available to people,' said Dr Rijsberman. While the current diagnosis is bleak, there are solutions to this problem. In fact, in many areas, water use is simply mismanaged. Africa in particular is targeted as somewhere that could be transformed. 'The savannahs are fragile and the rainfall is variable; making them productive systems for farmers is very difficult,' says Dr Rijsberman. 'But this year, the World Food Prize goes to three scientists from Brazil who have done exactly that for the Brazilian savannahs, the cerrados. The Brazilians used improved varieties of African grasses to conquer their savannahs. They proved it can be done. The same miracle needs to be repeated in Africa,' he said. Water scarcity is not just a problem for thirsty people, but also for hungry people. Agriculture uses up to 70 times more water to produce food than is used in drinking and other domestic purposes, including cooking, washing and bathing. On average, one needs a litre of water to produce every calorie of food. If the recommended daily calorie intake is 2500 calories per person per day - and of course a significant proportion of the world fails to manage this - this quickly adds up to a vast quantity of water. David Molden led the study. 'To feed the growing population and reduce malnourishment, the world has three choices: expand irrigation by diverting more water to agriculture and building more dams, at a major cost to the environment; expand the area under rain-fed agriculture at the expense of natural areas through massive deforestation and other habitat destruction; or do more with the water we already use. We must grow more crops per drop, more meat and milk per drop and more fish per drop,' he said. 'The Assessment shows that while a third of the world population faces water scarcity, it is not because there is not enough water to go round, but because of choices people make,' says Dr Molden. 'It is possible to reduce water scarcity, feed people and address poverty, but the key trade-off is with the environment. People and their governments will face some tough decisions on how to allocate and manage water. Not all situations are going to be a win-win for the parties involved, and in most cases there are winners and losers. If you don't consciously debate and make tough choices, more people, especially the poor, and the environment will continue to pay the price.'