Two-third of world population to suffer from water scarcity in 10 years

The Secretary of Iran Urban Economics Scientific Association (IUESA) Seyed Mohsen Tabatabaei made the remarks noting that that global demand for water follows extremely urbanization growth.

he underlined that water and its resources remain as core issues related to sustainable development and access to proper drinking water is one of the most important goals of the third millennium; "food security, health and the environment are all affected by water."

Saying that water leads to the improvement of social welfare and overall growth and the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide, he added "water is the source of many development vertices, but we consider concerning trends globally to the extent that some experts claim conflicts, tensions and civil, regional and international wars will be over water access in the not-too-distant future; therefore, this requires more accurate attention."

Tabatabaei highlighted that global demand for water is largely followed by urbanization growth, macro-economic policies, globalization of trade, and change in diet of earth population adding "studies indicate that global demand for water will be increased 55 percent by 2050."

Warning about increasing growth of need for water, the urban expert said "currently, the status of water resources is worrying since groundwater levels have fallen by 20% and many parts of the world are faced with lack of water. In the meantime, some experts have forecasted that about two-thirds of the world’s population will suffer from severe or relative water scarcity by 2025."

"Statistics indicate a shocking reality; 80 percent of the world’s population have access to only 20% of the world safe drinking water. In order to have favorable coverage of water and sanitation in the world, only in developing countries, $ 103 billion investment is needed in water and sanitation sector annually," Tabatabaei underlined.

Emphasizing that city management should make particular decisions to reduce water consumption, Seyyed Mohsen Tabatabaei deeemed it as necessary to have scientific and comprehensive look regarding water consumption management so that available resources can meet the needs of urban residents in the future.

HA/PR