Global fresh water demand by 2030 will be 40 per cent higher than current supplies
NEW DELHI – INDIA’S water needs are set to double by 2030, which could dry up its river basins, according to new research released on Tuesday that paints a grim picture for supplies across the emerging world. Global fresh water demand by 2030 will be 40 per cent higher than current supplies and agriculture is predicted to suck up 65 per cent of all resources, said the report by the 2030 Water Resources Group, Charting our water future: Economic frameworks to inform decision-making [pdf]. The initiative, headed by consulting firm McKinsey and Co, studied China, India, South Africa and Sao Paulo state in Brazil – four areas that together by 2030 will account for 42 per cent of projected global water demand. ‘The situation is getting worse. There is little indication that, left to its own devices, the water sector will come to a sustainable, cost-effective solution to meet the growing water requirements,’ it said. …
