Global freshwater losses mounting; could supply 280 million people annually
Even as global water use has been rising in the past two decades, the world is losing 324 billion cubic meters of freshwater every year, enough to meet the needs of 280 million people annually, a recent World Bank report has warned.
Water use has risen 25 per cent since 2000, with a third of that increase in areas already drying out. This includes areas already facing freshwater scarcity such as Central America, a large swath of Eastern Europe, and northern India.
However, water stress is also emerging in historically water-abundant regions undergoing rapid agricultural, industrial, and urban growth, such as southeastern Brazil, according to the first edition of the Global Water Monitoring Report released by the World bank recently.
Global freshwater losses were driven by worsening droughts and unsustainable land and water practices, including poor pricing policies, weak coordination, deforestation, wetland degradation, and excessive irrigation, the report underlined.
Local water shortages can have global economic repercussions because of interconnected trade networks. For example, a 100 mm drop in annual rainfall in India could reduce global real income by $68 billion, the report stated.
“The trend of continental drying is sobering, but the analysis also points to solutions”, said World Bank Senior Managing Director Axel van Trotsenburg. “With the right policies and investments, countries can turn the tide by managing water as the precious resource it is. This is smart development — and essential for building a livable planet”.
The past two decades have seen a global shift toward the cultivation of more water-intensive crops. Among drying countries, 37 have transitioned to more water-intensive agriculture, including 22 located in arid and semi-arid regions. This structural shift, coupled with inefficiency, further intensifies water demand in already water-stressed countries.
More than two-thirds of the inefficient irrigation in drying areas is linked to the cultivation of water-intensive crops, such as rice, wheat, cotton, maize, or sugar cane. This underscores the need for smarter crop choices and incentives that align agricultural practices with water sustainability.
Virtual water trade, which can provide a way for water-scarce countries to import water intensive goods like crops and industrial products, can help reduce global water use. Since 2010, virtual water trade has saved 475 billion cubic meters of water each year or almost 10 per cent of total global water consumption.
However, the report finds that many water-scarce countries are exporting products that are water intensive, highlighting the need to align trade policies with water sustainability goals.
The report calls for a three-part strategy to address the crisis: Manage water demand more efficiently through technologies, regulations, and public awareness; Expand alternative water supply via recycling, desalination, and improved storage; and ensure fair and effective water allocation across sectors and regions.
Enhancing water use efficiency in agriculture could save substantial amounts of water when paired with effective monitoring and regulations to protect the savings. Globally, aligning the production of key crops with median levels of global water use efficiency could reduce consumption of freshwater from rivers, lakes, and aquifers by 137 billion cubic meters — equivalent to the annual water needs of 118 million people.
Adjusting cropland distribution to better match water availability within national borders and reallocating water use from less efficient to more efficient
producers and from water-scarce to water-abundant areas across countries through virtual water trade can further increase water savings in drying regions, the report said.
