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Page added on March 23, 2013
Half of world’s population could face water scarcity by 2030
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that by 2030, nearly half the world’s population could be facing a scarcity of water, with demand outstripping supply by 40 percent.
One in three people already live in a country with moderate to high water stress, Ban told a U.N. event marking the opening of the International Year of Water Cooperation 2013. It also marked the 20th anniversary of the proclamation of World Water Day.
“Competition is growing among farmers and herders; industry and agriculture; town and country; upstream and downstream; and across borders,” the secretary-general said.
Ban said international cooperation is essential “to protect and manage this fragile, finite resource,” especially as the world population grows and the climate changes.
And with more people moving to urban areas, water use is projected to increase by 50 percent by 2025, said Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, head of the European Union delegation to the United Nations.
By that time, he said, roughly 5.5 billion people — two-thirds of the projected global population — “will live in areas facing moderate to severe water stress.”
Mayr-Harting said the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of cutting in half the proportion of people without access to clean water by 2015 is likely to be surpassed.
But he said “over 780 million people today do not have access to improved sources of drinking water, especially in Africa, and major inequities remain.”
3 Comments on "Half of world’s population could face water scarcity by 2030"
BillT on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 3:17 pm
Have YOUR water tested and see what you have been drinking for years…lol. I bet you will be surprised!
GregT on Sat, 23rd Mar 2013 5:55 pm
I live in one of the most water abundant places on earth, and we have already had water restrictions during the summer months for over a decade.
So, in 12 short years, 5.5 billion people will be facing moderate to severe water stress. Will you be one of them?
There is still time to make plans for your future, but that time is quickly running out.
Kenz300 on Mon, 25th Mar 2013 8:51 pm
The UN needs to develop a program for member states to evaluate their sustainability in relation to population and food, water, energy and jobs.
Every country should have a plan to balance its population with its resources, food, water, energy and jobs.
Those that do not will be exporting their people and their problems.
A sustainability index for each country might be helpful when looking at food and water shortages in the future and developing plans to deal with them.