Environment
The World's Water Crisis
by Clifton Coles
Conservation and creative capitalism could keep water flowing.
The world water supply is in crisis, and things are getting worse, not
better. Unless radical steps are taken to alter the way water is withdrawn, used, and
managed, the world could face a severe water shortage, say the authors of The
Water Atlas.
The water crisis will likely lead to ecological damage and reduce food
production significantly, leading to malnutrition and disease.
A future with limited water can be avoided, write Robin Clarke, editor of
the World Meteorological Organization's World Climate News, and environmental
author Jannet King. Widespread recognition of the problem, coupled with the desire to act,
is a vital first step.
Clarke and King offer three scenarios for the world's water.
Under a "business-as-usual" scenario, the planet can expect a
39% increase in total water withdrawals by 2035. That's 5,270 cubic kilometers of water
per year, up from 3,800 cubic kilometers in 1995. The likely result will be food shortages
and widespread damage to the world's ecology.
A "business-nearly-as-usual" scenario yields only slightly
less of a problem. In this scenario, industrialization in developing countries results in
increased domestic and industrial water use by 13% (4,300 cubic kilometers). Even with
limited expansion of irrigated land area, chronic food shortages can still be expected.
Even in a "changing-the-world" scenario where water is used
more productively as a result of radical changes in water management, total water
withdrawals will increase. Better water-management techniques include conserving supplies
by repairing underground pipes, using more-economical methods of irrigation, and
installing water-saving appliances in the home. Water collected from roofs and stored
underground can make a difference—the airport terminal in Frankfurt, Germany,
captures 16 million liters of rain a year on its roof and uses it for cleaning, gardening,
and toilets. Water resources will also have to be managed in an integrated way by
addressing people's social, economic, and health needs as well as the needs of the
environment.
One controversial measure for conserving water resources is to charge
people for the water they use, say Clarke and King. Advocates argue that this encourages
water thrift; others point out that water is a human right to which people should have
access regardless of whether they can pay. Nevertheless, as nations compete for this
dwindling resource, the global water industry is expected to be worth a trillion dollars a
year within a decade.
Another controversial issue is the trade in "virtual water,"
whereby rich water-stressed countries purchase other countries' water in the form of food.
Some see this as a partial solution to the water shortage, but others see it as
exacerbating the problem, arguing that the rural poor in both food-exporting and
food-importing countries are unlikely to benefit from the trade. Water management that
looks at the whole picture and involves the communities using the water is essential to
maintaining the world's water health, as is funding for research to develop
water-conserving technologies and cooperation between countries sharing river basins,
write Clarke and King.
Source: The Water Atlas by Robin Clarke and
Jannet King. The New Press. 2004. 127 pages. Paperback. $24.95. Order online from www.wfs.org/bkshelf.htm.
