Aug. 16 (UPI) — Over two dozen countries experience high water stress annually, with insufficient water supply to meet human demand, affecting at least half the global population, according to groundbreaking research by the World Resources Institute.
The recently released Aqueduct Risk Atlas, developed by the Washington-based research group, reveals that approximately 4 billion people live under conditions of elevated water stress each month, as populations rapidly consume available water supplies.
“Living with this level of water stress jeopardizes people’s lives, jobs, food and energy security,” state the researchers in their report’s findings. “Water is crucial for agricultural growth, energy production, public health, social equity, and achieving global climate goals.”
Scientists predict that this issue will worsen, exposing an additional 1 billion people to extremely high water stress by 2050, even if international climate goals are achieved.
“Global water demand is expected to increase by 20% to 25% by 2050, while the number of watersheds facing high year-to-year variability and unpredictable water supplies is projected to rise by 19%,” outlined the report.
The study identifies population growth, economic development, industrial and agricultural expansion, inadequate water management, and climate change as key factors exacerbating global water stress. The report urges governments to invest in renewable water infrastructures and implement effective conservation efforts to address this emerging crisis.
In addition, drought conditions are depleting water supplies for irrigation, livestock, industry, and domestic use, with many regions at risk of running out of water completely.
The study delves further into the causes of increasing water stress and includes a map illustrating the severity of ongoing water shortages worldwide.
Global water demand has more than doubled since 1960 and currently surpasses the available water supply for human consumption, according to the study.
The countries listed as the five most water-stressed are Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and Qatar.
Several nations are currently facing “extreme water stress,” utilizing at least 80% of the available supply, while countries experiencing “high water stress” are using at least 40% of the supply.
The most water-stressed regions are in the Middle East and North Africa, where 83% of the population faces extremely high water stress. South Asia follows with 74% of the population exposed to such conditions, as stated in the study.
Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be one of the regions most severely affected by water stress, with a projected population increase of 163% over the next 25 years.
