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Warning: World Faces 40% Water Shortfall by 2030  

A United Nations report predicts a 40% shortfall in global water supplies by 2030. 

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The world could suffer a 40 percent shortfall in water in just 15 years unless countries dramatically change their use of the resource, says a U.N. report.

Many underground water reserves are already depleting, while rainfall patterns are predicted to become more erratic with climate change. As the world’s population grows to an expected 9 billion by 2050, more groundwater will be needed for farming, industry and personal consumption.

The report predicts a 55 percent jump in global water demand by 2050, while reserves vanish. If current usage trends don’t change, the world will have only 60 percent of the water it needs in 2030, adds the report.

A United Nations report predicts a 40% shortfall in global water supplies by 2030. 
Village children fetch water from a government bored well tank in the western Indian state of Gujarat. (Photo: Reuters) 

Having less available water risks catastrophe on many fronts: crops could fail, ecosystems could break down, industries could collapse, disease and poverty could worsen, and violent conflicts over access to water could become more frequent.

Unless the balance between demand and finite supplies is restored, the world will face an increasingly severe global water deficit.

World Water Development Report

The report, released in New Delhi ahead of World Water Day on March 22, calls on policymakers and communities to rethink water policies, urging more conservation as well as recycling of wastewater.

Studies reveal a fast depletion of ground water resources in India, the shortfall has been forecast at 50 percent or even higher. At least 80 percent of country’s population rely on groundwater for drinking to avoid bacteria-infested surface waters.

Currently, about 748 million people worldwide have poor access to clean drinking water.

Watch, Rick Conor, Lead Author of the U.N. Water Development report talk about the main findings of the report:

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Topics:  Climate Change   World Water Day   UN 

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