Water Security

reliable availability of water in sufficient quantity. Acceptable quality. Supports health, livelihoods, and production. Managing water-related risks

Water Stress

Many rivers, lakes and groundwater supplies are drying up from overuse. Water stress takes the form of shortages of water supplies, especially for irrigation.

Economic Scarcity (reason for lack of water)

Country has sufficient water to meet needs but requires more transport and storage facilities to get the water where it is needed

Physical Scarcity (reason for lack of water)

Occurs where water consumption exceeds 60% of the usable supply

Social factors (availability/access to freshwater)

Increase population increases demand for domestic water use; rising affluence also drives water use, especially in LEDCs -> more appliances, consumption of goods that require water to produce

Economic factors (availability/access to freshwater)

Water footprint differs between LEDCs and MEDCs. LEDCs – water use is mostly for basic needs MEDCs – water use also includes recreational and luxury uses (gardening, swimming pools, car washing)

Cultural factors (availability/access to freshwater)

May have important religious and cultural meaning for human societies such as the Ganges, river in India.

Political factors (availability/access to freshwater)

Access to water resources can become disputed when many different sovereign nations lay claim to a water resource.

Growth in Population (Water demand expected to rise due to)

Increase to 9 billion by 2050 -> need for more water for households and food production

Increase in Affluence and Standard of Living (Water demand expected to rise due to)

Higher use for washing, cleaning, gardening, recreation

Change to a More Meat-Based Diet (Water demand expected to rise due to)

more meat = much higher water consumption than plant-based foods

Growth of Industry (Water demand expected to rise due to)

UNESCO estimates that global industrial use of water will increase to 24% by 2050

Increase in Urbanization (Water demand expected to rise due to)

Urban population to reach 6.3 billion by 2050, requiring major investment in water infrastructure

Approaches to Rising Water Demand

1. Increase the supply of water - Extract from new/deeper aquifers - Divert water from distant rivers - Desalination of seawater 2. Increase the efficiency of water use - More efficient appliances in homes - Recycling grey water (lightly used water) - Improved irrigation methods (e.g. drip irrigation)

DAMS