Plunging into Crisis

• Pages: 44-45

Freshwater resources come under increasing pressure

Page 44

Growing water shortages and water pollution in developing and developed countries alike have plunged the world into a water crisis. This has prompted the United Nations to declare 2003 the International Year of Freshwater "to raise awareness and galvanize action to better manage and protect this crucial resource." During the past century, water use has increased sixfold, and the quantity and quality of freshwater resources continue to be threatened by a growing population, according to the UN World Water Development Report -launched on March 22, 2003, to coincide with the annual observance of World Water Day and the World Water Forum, which was held in Japan.

Most of the earth's water is salty. Freshwater makes up only 2.53 percent, and about two-thirds of it is frozen in glaciers and permanent snow cover, leaving less than 1 percent available for use. The world's 6 billion inhabitants already appropriate more than half of all accessible freshwater contained in rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers. By 2025, this share will have risen to 70 percent, reflecting the growth of the population alone, which is projected to increase to more than 8 billion by 2025. The share could be 90 percent by 2025 if per capita consumption of water goes on rising at its current rate, leaving just 10 percent for all other living beings (plants and animals).

Shrinking pool

Despite progress made in recent decades, some 1.1 billion people today go without safe drinking water, and 2.4 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation. More than 2.2 million people die each year from diseases related to contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation. The situation is expected to get worse as areas of freshwater scarcity and water stress expand, particularly in North Africa and western Asia.

The amount of freshwater needed to maintain an acceptable living standard varies widely, but it is generally accepted that when freshwater availability falls below 1,700 cubic meters a person a year, a country faces water stress (1 cubic meter = 1,000 liters). When this number falls below 1,000 cubic meters, a country is facing chronic water scarcity.

Rising tide of scarcity and stress

In 1995, more than 40 percent of the world's population lived in conditions of water scarcity or water stress. This percentage will increase...