NEWS IN FOCUS

Water under pressure

A UN analysis sets out global water-management concerns ahead of Earth Summit.
B Y N ATA S H A G I L B E R T

E NV IRONMENT

WORLDS THIRSTIEST

ater should be at the top of the agenda for the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June, a United Nations report urges. The fourth World Water Development Report by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), launched at the World Water Forum in Marseilles, France, on 12 March, notes that industry, agriculture and booming urban populations are putting Earths water supplies under unprecedented pressure (see graphic). Hundreds of millions of people do not have access to clean water, leaving them at risk from waterborne diseases. Without prompt action to improve water-management policies, the report says, a global crisis looms. Although the document contains a plethora of facts and figures, its authors argue that a lack of reliable data on water quality and usage has become a stumbling block for efforts to strengthen policies and enforce regulations. You cannot properly manage something that you dont know about, says Olcay nver, coordinator of the UN World Water Assessment Programme. But closing the knowledge gap will be expensive: building a gauging station to measure a rivers flow can cost more than US$1million, for example, and the expense of ongoing operation can be difficult for poor countries to justify. The report recommends increasing the use of remote-sensing technologies to monitor water quality, but notes that these will never completely replace information gathered on the ground. The report also focuses on the burgeoning demands of agriculture. Food production already consumes more than two-thirds of the worlds extracted water, and food demand is expected to rise by 70% by 2050, owing to population growth. Research into improving crop yields and drought tolerance will help nations to meet needs while using water more efficiently. The report concludes that policy-makers must balance the requirements of agriculture and industry with the need for sustainable sources of clean drinking water by developing integrated policies that satisfy all three sectors. Michel Jarraud, chairman of UN-Water a grouping of 28 UN organizations including UNESCO says that the group will tell leaders at the Rio summit that the challenges, risks and uncertainties blocking the road to sustainable development require a collective response by the whole international community.

Just three nations India, China and the United States together use about one-third of the roughly 4,000 km3 of water extracted globally each year. In general, water demands in developed countries have been declining during the past 20 years, mostly as a result of more e cient use of water resources.

GLOBAL WATER CONSUMERS

TOP 7

9
%
3. UNITED STATES

1. INDIA

2. CHINA

Rest of world

52
%

4
%
4. RUSSIA

4
%
5. INDONESIA

3
%
6. NIGERIA

3
%
7. BRAZIL

AME

RI CAS

km3 yr1

80

604
Northern America

26
Central America and Caribbean

7
Southern America inc. Brazil

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2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

IN FOCUS NEWS
SOURCE: WORLD WATER DEVELOPMENT REPORT

ON THE FARM

Agriculture consumes almost 70% of all extracted water. Animal husbandry is the most water-intensive aspect of farming, and causes the greatest disparity in water consumption between the developed and developing worlds. The United States leads the world in per capita water use attributable to animal products, with each person consuming the equivalent of about 1,200 m3 per year. Cereals and starchy roots Sugar and sweeteners Oil crops and vegetable oils Vegetables and fruits

DRILLING DOWN

Countries are increasingly meeting demand by extracting water from non-renewable underground sources. Groundwater extraction has tripled in the past 50 years. India has had the largest growth, jumping from less than 25 km3 in 1950 to 250 km3 in 2010: about one-quarter of the global total (other countries shown for comparison). 300 India USA China Iran Mexico

Groundwater extraction (km3 per year) 1,500

Alcoholic beverages Animal products

250

Developed

200

150

Developing

100

World average

50

500 1,000 Water (m3 per capita per year)

0 1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

DYING FOR A DRINK

Nearly 1 billion people have no access to safe and improved water sources such as boreholes, protected wells, springs and rainwater collections. More than 80% of the worlds waste water is not collected or treated, causing millions of deaths from waterborne diarrhoeal diseases every year in the developing world. Urban settlements are the main source of pollution, and the challenge will grow as the worlds urban population almost doubles to 6.3 billion by 2050.

Total withdrawal by sector

EUROPE

WORLD

km3 yr1

364

3,942
km3 yr1

Western and central Europe

249

Eastern Europe inc. Russia

Municipal

ASIA

Industrial Agricultural

2,526
km3 yr1

Use of improved drinkingwater sources (%) 91100% 7690%

677
East Asia inc. China

64
Central Asia

,004
South Asia inc. India

5075% Less than 50% Insu cient data

AFRICA

OCEANIA

km3 yr1

224

km3 yr1

27

Northern Africa

95

29

Sub-Saharan Africa

Australia and New Zealand

27

0.08

Paci c Islands

2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

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