China, India face water risk from biofuel

…Right now, biofuel crops use about 100 cubic kilometers, or 1 percent of the total for food. Assuming biofuel usage rises as many expect, IWMI findings point to 180 cubic kilometers of water for irrigation being used for biofuel by 2030.

Both China and India are approaching water scarcity, which de Fraiture defines as using 75 percent of all potentially useable water for human purposes.

At 60 percent, a country is in the danger zone and both China and India are at that level.

“Those two countries, if they pursue their biofuel plans as they are on the table now, they will definitely be in the red zone in water terms,” she said.

Reuters