WASHINGTON, DC -- Nearly a quarter of the entire world population, living in the 17 countries greatly affected by the world water shortage is nearing their worst experience in this lifetime. The water stress is getting even worse that "zero day" conditions are expected to be more often. All these facts are according to the report released on Tuesday.
The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas of the World Resources Institute (WRI) ranked drought risk, water stress, and riverline flooding though the use of a peer-reviewed methodology.
"At an average, agriculture, municipalities and various industries are using almost 80% of the surface and groundwater resources every year," said the report from the WRI. This is the case for the seventeen countries all over the world that have been identified as the places with the worst water shortage conditions.
"When the demand for clean drinking water rivals with the amount of its supply, even the small dry shocks can give birth to more problems that previously thought of. Due to the increase in the harsh effects of climate change, the problem on clean water supply is only set to get worse. Both conditions can produce dire consequences."
The recent rise in the water shortage has reportedly been worse in Cape Town, Sao Pablo, and even in Chennai. The top seventeen countries with the worst water conditions in the world including the following: Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman, Botswana, Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libia, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, San Marino, UAE.
"Water stress is at par with climate change as far as experts are concerned, but it is often left out in discussions. It comes with consequences that are very easy to determine including food insecurity, financial instability, and conflict and migration," said Andrew Steer, CEO of WRI.
Another set of 27 countries all over the world constitute the "high baseline water stress." The Middle East and North Africa are homes to the 12 countries that are suffering from the most water stress. Although India only ranks 13 in all, its population is bigger than that of the top three countries combined. One could only imagine how many people are affected by the shortage in water supply.
"The recent water crisis in Chennai have gained global scale attention, but the chronic shortage in water supply in India has always been an area of concern," said Shashi Shekhar, former Water Secretary of India. Adding the tool could help authorities identify the risks and prioritize the more urgent.
