Water: the Most Precious Resource
Water is humanity’s main source of hydration and an indispensable resource for human existence. Water is required to grow food, bathe, manufacture, and create energy, amongst countless other things. However, water is a limited resource worldwide and one that is becoming increasingly precious. Out of all the water available worldwide, approximately 97% of it is salty Ocean water and only 3% of it is fresh, drinkable water. However, more than half of the 3% of fresh water in the world is glacier. The remaining fresh water is found in aquifers, lakes, rivers, and rainfall. The chart below shows the distribution of fresh water resources worldwide by geographical region.
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Where is the Water?
Water is not consistently distributed throughout the world’s geographic space. In fact, it is estimated that more than half of the planet’s water supply can be found in just ten countries; these are Indonesia, India, China, Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada, the United States, Colombia, and Brazil. Similarly, water consumption varies substantially from one country to the next. For example, water consumption per capita in the United States is of approximately 215 cubic meter per year, whereas in France it is of 106 (m³/year). On the other hand, the average Chinese citizen consumes 32 cubic meters of water per year, while the average person in West Africa uses up less than 5 (m³/year).
The chart below presents the average amount of water available per person in the different regions of the world. North and South America are first in the graph of fresh water per capita, however it is important to mention that geographies within the continent vary substantially. The same is true of the second region in the graph, Asia; water is abundant in countries such as India and Indonesia, however, it is highly scarce in the Middle East. Furthermore, it is important to mention that Asia is by far the world’s most populous continent, therefore, the available water per capita is diluted substantially.
[google_chart id=’2293′ /]
How is the Water used?
The activities for which water is used varies from one country to another, particularly from developed to developing nations. In the case of agriculture, developing nations tend to use a higher percentage of water towards irrigation than developed nations. One of the reasons behind this tendency is that agriculture in developed nations employs more precision technology when it comes to agricultural irrigation. For example, India and China use more than 80% of their respective water consumption on agriculture, whereas France and the United Kingdom use less than 20% each. Another factor that might explain these percentages is that, in developing countries, well-off urban centers and institutional farmers might be the only ones with reliable access to a water grid.
The second industry that uses most water worldwide is the manufacture and energy sector. In countries with developed energy processing infrastructures, power from sources such as coal, nuclear, gas, and oil, require large quantities of water to function optimally. Needless to mention, hydro energy projects such as dams and river turbines utilize fresh water resources as well.
The Future of Water
Water is an essential natural and economic resource without which humanity cannot exist. In developed regions such as Europe and North America, water is mostly used for energy, manufacture, and domestic consumption. Meanwhile, in regions like Latin America, Africa, and Asia more than 50% of the available fresh water is employed on food and agriculture. Meanwhile, new technologies, such as water desalinization, are being developed in order to cope with the increasing global demand for fresh water. Nevertheless, most of these technologies are still too expensive or inefficient. Ultimately the fact remains, the efficient and proper management of water resources will be a key social and economic matter during the 21st century.
(Read more about the UN Food & Agriculture Business Principles)