Water woes

The Earth’s supply of water is dwindling. Giles Crosse looks at the issues, and what it might take to solve them.
Unfortunately, growing populations and associated growth in the need for resources is putting global waters under unprecedented pressure.

The problem is that industry needs more water, polluting the remaining existing resources. Rivers are being dammed, upsetting natural balances, and damaging these fragile ecosystems.

There’s also the need for drinking water for animals for our food, or for irrigation to help crops grown to feed you and I. It’s a trend which has received some attention, but relatively little compared with the coverage given to global warming or melting ice.

The World Water Council (WWC) was put together in 1996 as a multi stakeholder platform to address concerns about global water and trigger meaningful action. Some of its figures on the situation show the scale of the issues.

‘In developing countries, 80 per cent of health problems are linked to inadequate water and sanitation,’ explains WWC. ‘In Africa alone, up to 5 per cent of GDP is lost annually to water-borne diseases and poor sanitation.

‘One dollar invested in sanitation can save between US$3 to US$34 in medical costs and lost productivity. Agriculture represents 70 per cent of total water use, but 50 per cent of food is wasted between farm and fork. Investing in food chain efficiency is crucial.’

And according to WWC, some 3 billion people depend on the sustainability of 263 river basins and hundreds of underground water reservoirs shared by several countries.

The important thing about this is that the only way to solve issues of dwindling supply and pollution will involve global cooperation, because rivers and oceans don’t conform to international boarders or boundaries.