Water Shortage & Pollution
 
DROUGHT & DESERTIFICATION
  • Within 50 years, there could be irreversible drought (permanent desertification) in the southwestern US, Southeast Asia, Eastern South America, Western Australia, Southern Europe, Southern Africa, and northern Africa. 1(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), 2009)
  • The percentage of Earth's land area gripped by severe drought more than doubled from the 1970s to the early 2000s.2 (Dai, 2004)
  • Examples of recent regional droughts:
    • China’s northern region, where 10-meter deep cracks began to appear in fields. Without drastic changes in water use, there could be tens of millions of environmental refugees from China appearing within the next ten years.3 (Sept 2010)
    • Having just faced historic floods in 2009 due to a record rise in Amazon River water levels, several communities in Brazil’s Amazonas state have been isolated by drought and can no longer be accessed by boat, only by foot through the forest. 4,5(Sept 2010)
    • Iraq, China, Chad, Australia, Mongolia, Africa’s Sahel region, among others, have been suffering drought conditions in 2010.6,7,8,9,10,11

SHORTAGE: WATER
  • The world's rivers are in a “crisis state” on a global scale. Water supplies for nearly 80% of the world’s populations are highly threatened. Nearly a third of sources studied are also highly jeopardized by biodiversity loss.22,23 (US researchers Professor Peter McIntyre of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and City College of New York modeler Charles Vörösmarty)
  • Recent regional reports on water shortage:
    • The Middle East’s water supply has shrunk to a quarter of its 1960 level.24 (Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), 2010)
    • The Tigris and Euphrates rivers dropped to less than a third of their normal levels due to drought.25 (UN Inter-Agency Information and Analysis Unit (IAU))
    • UK’s increasingly hotter, drier summers could cause extreme water shortages as river flows are reduced by 80%.26,27 (Britain’s Government Office for Science, 2010)
  • Sources of groundwater for wells, which support half our world’s population, are running dry.28 (Lance Endersbee, Monasy University, Australia)
  • 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water.29 (World Health Organization, 2005)
Latest News
Brazilian scientists discover that banana peels help to purify water. - 18 Apr 2011
Dwindling fresh water supplies in California, USA. - 20 Mar 2011
Ancient mega-drought parched Africa and Asia. - 17 Mar 2011
Flood and water catastrophes loom ahead. - 16 Mar 2011
Climate change linked to harmful water-borne diseases. - 15 Mar 2011
Arsenic and other toxins in Âu Lạc's (Vietnam) groundwater. - 24 Feb 2011
Relentless drought puts Chinese at risk. - 20 Feb 2011
China experiences severe drought. - 28 Jan 2011
Somalia's drought results in fatalities and forced migration. - 26 Jan 2011
Syria launches model water scarcity park. - 24 Jan 2011
China's Shandong province suffers drought. - 9 Jan 2011
Experts warn of widespread desertification threat. - 30 Dec 2010
Thousands endangered by Somali drought. - 22 Dec 2010
Water shortage taking toll in Egypt. - 6 Dec 2010
Central China water levels near record lows due to drought. - 5 Dec 2010
more  
106
Water resources in decline in many countries - 16 Oct 2009
105
Arab ministers agree on water diplomacy program to secure peace - 14 Oct 2009
104
Water scarcity brings global security concerns - 13 Oct 2009
103
Ocean ‘dead zones’ are increasing - 7 Sep 2009
102
Hundreds of thousands of Somalis seek drought relief - 6 Sep 2009
101
Climate change conference in Kathmandu - 4 Sep 2009
100
Meat diet depletes water resources in China - 3 Sep 2009
99
Mexico alerts critical water shortage - 1 Sep 2009
98
Plastic releases harmful chemicals into oceans - 31 Aug 2009
97
Water shortages loom around the globe - 30 Aug 2009
96
2009 World Water Week Conference concludes in Stockholm - 29 Aug 2009
95
Animal farming implicated in France’s toxic algae - 29 Aug 2009
94
Equatorial rain band moving north due to global warming - 29 Aug 2009
93
US federal judge rules chicken waste can be regulated as pollution - 26 Aug 2009
92
Decreased water leads to unrest in India - 21 Aug 2009
91
Thousands lack drinking water in China - 5 Aug 2009
90
More severe 'dead zone' in Mexico - 2 Aug 2009
89
US funds removal of dangerous underwater nets - 2 Aug 2009
88
Thousands lack drinking water in China - 26 July 2009
87
Meat consumption devastating world’s waters - 24 July 2009
86
Bangladeshi rivers turn to health hazards - 20 July 2009
85
Tensions build over water shortage - 19 Jul 2009
84
Celebrity Matt Damon launches new partnership for clean water - 18 Jul 2009
83
Glaciers quickly retreating in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush - 15 May 2009
82
Water expert urges plant-based trend - 14 May 2009
81
Climate change accelerates water hunt in U.S. West - 19 Mar 2009
80
Hundreds of Millions of South Asians Face Increasing Water Stress - 1 Mar 2009
79
Water resources imperiled in New Zealand. - 28 Feb 2009
78
Ice samples show no new accumulation on Himalayan glacier. - 6 Dec 2008
77
Water scarcity felt throughout US - 28 Nov 2008
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The 2009 World Water Week Conference: Preserve Our Precious Water Resources
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The World City Water Forum 2009
Part 1
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Part 2
 
Make Every Drop Count: The Water Footprint Network (In Dutch)
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Drying Rivers, Lakes and Reservoirs
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20,000-40,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of beef
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Are we short of water,food?
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