The rising demand for water

In this video Dr Adrian Healy explains how and why the demand for water is rising, and what is being done to meet increasing demand.

Over the past 100 years, global water use has increased nearly eight times. This is due to a combination of population growth, economic development, and changing consumption patterns.

It’s estimated that water demand will continue to rise and this will present important challenges for the future.

Freshwater is essential for healthy lives and a healthy environment. Ecosystems depend on the availability and quality of water to thrive. We humans also depend on water for the food we eat, the energy we generate, the goods we produce and, of course, our drinking, cooking and cleanliness.

This makes the security of our water resources, critical for our well-being and our planet.

Not all freshwater is accessible, some is too remote or difficult to reach. Over 68% of the fresh water on Earth is found in icecaps and glaciers, and just over 30% is found in ground water. Only about 0.3% of our freshwater is found in easily accessible lakes, rivers, and swamps.

Of the freshwater that’s available, it’s estimated that we already use more than half of this.

To secure a more reliable water supply, we’ve extensively relied on our engineering skills and we’re now storing five times the total volume of all the Earth’s rivers behind dams, and we release almost their equivalent volume of wastewater each year.

Over to you

• Do you try to save water at home?
• If so, how?

Let us know in the comments.