Water

From Missiopedia

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Water is required for life, and fortunately the Earth has a lot of it. Unfortunately, most of it is saltwater, unusable for consumption. Out of 1.3 billion cubic kilometers (km3) of water on Earth, just 2.5% or 43 billion km3 is fresh, usable water (FAO, UNEP).

• Much of this is unevenly distributed and located far from human populations. Two-thirds of all fresh water is stored in glaciers and permanent snow cover, virtually inaccessible and unusable by the vast majority of the thirsty. The remaining third is found in ‘groundwater’ (soil moisture, swamp water, permafrost, and deep underground water reserves) as well as lakes and rivers. (The table on the next page gives an overview of water supplies by region.)

• So in essence we’re stuck with one-third of 2.5 percent to support a population adding one person every second. The water supply isn’t increasing, but the number of people who need to drink it is. Now, the added complication: many groundwater resources are shared between various countries—particularly between countries that are already water-stressed and which have rapidly growing populations. To illustrate this, two internationally-defined standards are shown in Table 5 (see following page).

• The first, IRWR, totals each country’s Internally-owned Renewable Water Resources. These are water supplies generated by surface run-off and groundwater recharge inside the country’s borders, thanks to the water cycle.

• The second, ARWR, shows the Actual Renewable Water Resources that are theoretically available. This includes IRWR as well as water from upstream countries and volumes from agreements or treaties between countries. This is “shared” water.

• For both IRWR and ARWR, a ‘pc’ column is given to show the per-capita (per-person) amount of water available. The ‘Sh %’ is the shared percentage—the percentage of the actual water supplies that comes from outside the country. Globally, 21% of all water supplies are shared—which means they are subject to disagreements, tensions, and even wars.

• Scientists slot countries into three categories depending on how much water is available for withdrawal each year (based on ARWR per capita). Nations are water-scarce when available water is less than 1,000 m3 per person per year, and water-stressed when water is under 1,600 m3 per person per year. Nations having more than 1,600 m3 are water-abundant. Some 25 nations are considered water-scarce, and another 13 are water-stressed.

• Column 7, WW, represents Water Withdrawals: the amount each country uses yearly from its water supply. Some of this is lost forever, but much of it can be reclaimed. Some water used to process waste (dishes or laundry, for example) passes into sewers and from there into water treatment systems, then is cleaned and put back into use again.

• Column 8, WW %, is water withdrawal as a percentage of the ARWR. Since some of this is lost forever, when WW% becomes very high it is a matter of concern. One example of loss is the Aral Sea, once one of the largest inland lakes in the former Soviet Union. Rerouting the rivers that fed it in order to irrigate cotton-producing lands has caused significant environmental damage in the area.

• Finally, column 9, Acc%, shows the percentage of each country’s population with access to safe drinking water (from the World Christian Database). Today, more than a quarter of the world has no access. Given current trends, it is estimated two out of every three people will live in water-stressed areas by the year 2025. In Africa alone, 25 countries will experience water stress by 2025. Further, water-borne diseases from faecal pollution of surface waters continue to be a major cause of illness in developing countries. Polluted water is estimated to affect the health of 1.2 billion people, and contributes to the death of 15 million children annually.

• So far, there have been no wars fought over water supply. This happy state is not likely to continue even in the short-term. Water is a sticking point between Israelis and Palestinians. Debate in North Africa over vital water supplies is often sharp and pointed. The devastation of the Aral Sea illustrates how water management can alter the future of a region. If one nation were to do this to another, it might be cause for war. Already there are accusations of water theft.

• The scarcity of water in many parts of the world is becoming a major cause of tension and even conflict between nations. Major hydro-politics tension points:

a) The Amu Darya/Oxus of Central Asia.

b) The Tigris-Euphrates (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran).

c) The Jordan (Israel, Syria, Jordan).

d) The Nile (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia).

e) The nations to the north and south of the Sahara Desert.

f) The Amur (Russia, China).

• There are 26 nations already suffering from a severe water deficit. It is reckoned that by 2025 3 billion people will have problems accessing fresh water.

[edit] Table 1

Name	IRWR	p.c.	ARWR	p.c.	Sh%	WW	p.c.	WW%	Acc%	Most stressed countries, other notes
World	43,554	7,104	54,491	8,887	20%	3,838	626	7%	78%
AFRICA	3,805	4,545	4,855	5,800	22%	219	262	5%	48%
Eastern Africa	940	3,355	1,188	4,237	21%	46	163	4%	42%	Mauritius.
Middle Africa	1,669	17,380	2,096	21,825	20%	2	23	0%	31%
Northern Africa	77	439	169	964	54%	131	749	78%	63%	Egypt, Libya, Morocco.
Southern Africa	61	1,176	87	1,680	30%	14	270	16%	68%	South Africa.
Western Africa	1,057	4,526	1,315	5,630	20%	26	111	2%	48%	Mauritania.
ASIA	11,604	3,139	15,078	4,079	23%	2,404	650	16%	80%
Eastern Asia	3,416	2,309	3,467	2,344	1%	767	518	22%	90%	China, Japan, Korea.
South-central Asia	2,151	1,449	4,109	2,768	48%	1,154	777	28%	77%	All, most: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan.
South-eastern Asia	5,674	10,936	7,063	13,611	20%	319	615	5%	62%	Thailand.
Western Asia	363	1,698	439	2,051	17%	164	766	37%	77%	All, most: Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia.
EUROPE	6,618	9,085	7,784	10,685	15%	399	547	5%	96%
Eastern Europe	4,531	14,875	5,139	16,870	12%	177	580	3%	93%	Bulgaria, Czech R, Moldova.
Northern Europe	1,124	11,938	1,166	12,385	4%	22	229	2%	99%	Denmark.
Southern Europe	558	3,819	877	6,005	36%	101	690	11%	96%	Italy, Greece, Poland.
Western Europe	405	2,205	601	3,275	33%	100	543	17%	99%
LATIN AMERICA	13,570	25,950	18,525	35,425	27%	265	507	1%	72%
Caribbean	93	2,473	94	2,500	1%	13	357	14%	72%
Central America	1,097	8,067	1,165	8,566	6%	87	642	7%	79%
South America	12,380	35,428	17,266	49,411	28%	165	471	1%	70%
NORTH AMERICA	6,253	19,853	6,556	20,815	5%	525	1,668	8%	91%	USA.
PACIFIC	1,703	54,993	1,693	54,670	-1%	26	845	2%	84%
Australia-New Zealand	819	35,781	819	35,781	0%	26	1,138	3%	96%
Melanesia	874	126,063	874	126,063	0%	0	20	0%	43%
Micronesia	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	84%
Polynesia	10	15,552	-	-	-	-	-	-	84%

Statistical Source: UN FAO Aquastat database (http://www.fao.org). IRWR = Internal renewable water resources (million cubic meters). ARWR = All renewable water resources (million cubic meters), including inputs from international waterways. WW = Water withdrawals (million cubic meters). p.c. = cubic meter per capita (per person). % = Withdrawals divided by ARWR; anything above 10% is considered stressed. Greater than 100% means this area is dependent on water imports.