Water: The Most Critical but Most Used Resource of the World
Water is the most important and widely used resource on Earth, essential for sustaining life. It plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, supporting agriculture, and driving industrial production. Almost everything in our life is connected to water. About 60% of our body is composed of water and we need approximately 3-4 litres daily to stay hydrated and healthy. Globally, we consume around 10 billion tonnes of water every day, with agriculture accounting for 70%, industry 20%, and the remaining 10% used for human consumption.
There is significant inequality in water usage among different countries. Industrialised nations tend to use far more water than developing nations. For instance, Africa has a per capita water usage of 47 litres of water per person per day, Asia uses 95 litres of water per person per day, the UK consumes 334 litres of water per person per day, and the USA uses 578 litres of water per person per day. The total global annual water consumption amounts to a staggering 3.8 trillion cubic meters. Currently, the level of water usage and generation is relatively stable, but this presents a concerning outlook for the future.
Globally, we need approximately 3800 cubic kilometre of freshwater annually to sustain ourselves. This includes the use of freshwater for agriculture, industry, and human consumption. In contrast, we generate around 52,580 cubic kilometre of freshwater annually through renewable resources such as rainfall, snow, and surface runoff, which replenish lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Although the majority of the freshwater is locked in glaciers and ice caps, smaller amounts are available for use in groundwater, lakes, and rivers. Only about 1.2% of the total freshwater generated annually is surface water that we can access, which amounts to only 630 cubic kilometre available for use. Moreover, the distribution of this freshwater is highly uneven. Countries like Brazil, Russia, the USA, and China have the largest reserves of freshwater, while nations such as Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and Qatar have the least. Ironically, some Gulf countries have the highest consumption rates of freshwater despite their low reserves.
The UN Water Summit has brought attention to an imminent global water crisis, with demand for fresh water projected to outstrip the supply by 40% by the end of 2030. Johan Rockstrom, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, emphasises that neglecting water resources is leading to disaster. ‘The scientific evidence is that we have a water crisis. We are misusing water, polluting water, and changing the whole global hydrological cycle, through what we are doing to the climate. It is a triple crisis.’ This situation is more serious than climate change itself!!
At Development Alternatives we are aware of the ongoing crisis and are actively supporting various communities and cities in raising awareness, collaborating on research with academic institutions and implementing creative solutions. One of the most important initiatives is mapping existing water bodies and understanding their ecological status through the use of GeoAI technology. Our findings indicate that most of the permanent water bodies are receding or their water-holding capacity is decreasing due to siltation. We are also focusing on creating awareness about reducing water wastage in our daily lives. Additionally, we are working on finding solutions for recycling greywater for dedicated uses and even processing blackwater. A key area of our work is helping villages in rural areas become self-sufficient in water. This includes utilising greywater for agriculture purposes and recycling of wastewater for everyday use.
At an organisation level, we are actively promoting the implementation of water harvesting structures, check dams, and efficient water management systems to prevent surface runoff. These efforts will help preserve freshwater from rainfall and recharge groundwater systems. One significant initiative focuses on purifying water contaminated with arsenic, fluoride, iron, bacteria through innovative filtration systems. This also reduces the adverse effects on health. While these initiatives may seem small, coordinated efforts are required to undertake more innovative solutions, such as extracting water from air, low-cost desalination technologies to obtain water from the sea, and developing purification systems, and water from rain forests. Given that oceans contain 97% of the Earth’s water, we must seek creative solutions to access and utilise this vital resource effectively.
The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Development Alternatives.
This blog first appeared as an editorial in Development Alternatives Newsletter March, 2025 https://devalt.org/newsletter/73-water-solutions-for-a-water-stressed-world
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