Quarter of world's population facing extreme water stress

WASHINGTON, United States — Nearly a quarter of the world's population lives in 17 countries facing extremely high water stress, close to "day zero" conditions when the taps run dry, according to a report released Tuesday.

The World Resources Institute's Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas ranked water stress, drought risk and riverine flood risk using a peer-reviewed methodology.

"Agriculture, industry, and municipalities are drinking up 80% of available surface and groundwater in an average year" in the 17 worst affected countries, WRI said.


"When demand rivals supply, even small dry shocks—which are set to increase due to climate change—can produce dire consequences" such as the recent crises in Cape Town, Sao Paulo and Chennai.

Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, UAE, San Marino, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman and Botswana made up the top 17.

"Water stress is the biggest crisis no one is talking about. Its consequences are in plain sight in the form of food insecurity, conflict and migration, and financial instability," said Andrew Steer, CEO of WRI.

Another 27 countries comprised the "high baseline water stress" list.

The Middle East and North Africa are home to 12 of the most stressed countries, while India, which is ranked 13, has more than three times the population of the other 16 in its category combined.


"The recent water crisis in Chennai gained global attention, but various areas in India are experiencing chronic water stress as well," said Shashi Shekhar, India's former water secretary, adding that the tool could help authorities identify and prioritize risks.

Even countries with low average water stress can have dire hotspots, the report found. While the US ranks a comfortable 71 on the list, the state of New Mexico faces water stress on par with the UAE.

source: philstar.com

Water crisis to hit Philippines in 10 years if no new sources are tapped, expert says

The Philippines is facing a water crisis over the next 10 years unless new sources are developed to meet growing demand, an expert said on Wednesday.

On the sidelines of a forum, Edgar C. Lopez, Philippine Waterworks Association president, said Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Angeles among other urban centers could face severe water shortage by 2025.

"There is a [Japan International Cooperation Agency] study that says that in 2025 if we will not conserve water, there may be some problems. But of course we can always start conserving now and look for other sources," he said.

He blamed dwindling water supply on population growth and wasteful use.

But while the Philippines' mega cities could dry up in the coming years, many people in rural areas still don't have access to piped water.

Lopez said 20 million Filipinos still rely on their own means for their water supply, including pumps that extract ground water, a technology deemed unsustainable and dangerous as prolonged use could lead to the formation of sink holes.

To address concerns on inadequate supply, Lopez said both the private sector and the government should look into investing in new water sources and supporting the development of water districts.

"The private sector will play a lot because the government cannot afford these projects," he said.

Water districts, Lopez said, require P100 million in investments to secure their supply.

Private sector role big

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the private sector has a big role to play in terms of securing water.

In a live chat on Thursdauy, Amy S. P. Leung, ADB Southeast Asian urban development and water division director, said private firms can practice "good stewardship" to protect water resources, which would minimize their business risks and keep costs low.

"Large businesses can be encouraged to show leadership to their suppliers. All businesses in all countries must be made water-aware and take responsibility for their use of this critical resource," Leung said.

She said public-private partnership (PPP) is one of the options but governance has to improve as well to ensure water as a resource is managed effectively, and as a service delivered efficiently.

"More should be done on water sector reforms and implementation of effective regulatory regimes," she said.

Another problem confronting developing nations like the Philippines is that government money does not often reach the poor households because of the "lack of last-mile connectivity."

Leung said the lack of funds for expansion remains a constrraint, adding that utilities do not receive enough funds from the government or they cannot achieve cost recovery in the tariff they charge users.

"Numerous studies show that providing piped-water access is the cheaper and safer alternative for all, including the poor," she said.

source: interaksyon.com