The UN has published its 3rd report on Water Development. It is called Water in a Changing World. It draws attention to rising demands for water, shrinking resources, more competition and more conflict. 5 billion people or close to 70% of the world population will not have adequate services in 2030. And despite the fact that investment in water infrastructure has high returns. For each dollar invested the return is 3-34 dollars. Not investing in water services hinders growth and harms the environment. To read more:

UN World Water Development Report

  The 3rd report, entitled ‘Water in a Changing World’, underlined that demand for water has never been as great as it is today. “Demand is increasing, and some countries are already reaching the limits of their water resources. The effects of climate change are likely to aggravate this situation even further. Competition for water is intensifying, whether between countries, urban and rural areas, or different sectors of activity. This may make water an increasingly politicized issue”.

The authors of the report regret that reforms made by policies have any noticeable effect, because action is too often confined to the water sector alone. “For decisions to be effective, they need to involve decision makers from all sectors, including agriculture, energy, trade and finance, as they all have a decisive impact on water management”. The report also underlined the importance of partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society.

Main items
 (1) Access to basic water-related services (safe drinking water, sanitation and food production) remains inadequate in much of the developing world. “An estimated 5 billion people (67% of the world population) may still be without improved sanitation in 2030”.

 (2) The world’s population, currently estimated at 6.6 billion, is growing by about 80 million people each year. This means demand for freshwater is increasing by 64 billion m3 a year. Yet 90% of the population growth of three billion expected by 2050 will be in developing countries, many in regions which already are water scarce.

 (3) Agriculture is by far the greatest consumer of water, accounting for 70% of all water consumption. Unless agricultural water use is optimized, water demand for agriculture worldwide would increase by 70 to 90% by 2050. The production of biofuels has also increased sharply in recent years, with significant impact on water demand.

 (4) Energy demand is accelerating (+ 55% through 2030), with corresponding implications for water demand. China and India alone would account for about 45% of this increase. Electricity generation from hydropower is projected to increase at an average annual rate of 1.7% from 2004 to 2030 (an overall increase of 60%).

 (5) Global warming will result in an intensification and acceleration of the global hydrological cycle because of increasing rates of evaporation and precipitation. “It is expected that a shortage of water will have repercussions on water quality and the frequency of extreme events, such as droughts and flooding”.

 (6) In 2030, 47% of world population will be living in areas of high water stress. Water scarcity in some arid and semi-arid regions will have major impacts on migration. From 24 to 700 million people are expected to be displaced because of a scarcity of water.

Finally, the authors of the report said water resources development is a key component of economic and social development. “Investing in water can pay off in several ways. Each dollar invested in improved access to safe water and sanitation will produce an estimated return of USD 3 to 34. On the other hand, where investment is weak, GDP could be constrained by as much as 10%. (…). Investing in sanitation infrastructure also has benefits for the environment. Over 80% of sewage in developing countries is today discharged without being treated thereby polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas. (…) It is estimated that the total cost in industrial countries of replacing aging water supply and sanitation infrastructure may be as high as USD 200 billion per year”. (Press release by Unesco – March 12, 09) http://webworld.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3/index.shtml