U.N. warns world could have 40 percent water shortfall by 2030
20 MARCH 2015, NEW DELHI (AP) – The world could suffer a 40 percent shortfall in water in just 15 years unless countries dramatically change their use of the resource, a U.N. report warned Friday [The United Nations World Water Development Report 2015]. Many underground water reserves are already running low, while rainfall patterns are predicted to become more erratic with climate change. As the world’s population grows to an expected 9 billion by 2050, more groundwater will be needed for farming, industry, and personal consumption. The report predicts global water demand will increase 55 percent by 2050, while reserves dwindle. If current usage trends don’t change, the world will have only 60 percent of the water it needs in 2030, it said. Having less available water risks catastrophe on many fronts: crops could fail, ecosystems could break down, industries could collapse, disease and poverty could worsen, and violent conflicts over access to water could become more frequent. “Unless the balance between demand and finite supplies is restored, the world will face an increasingly severe global water deficit,” the annual World Water Development Report said, noting that more efficient use could guarantee enough supply in the future. The report, released in New Delhi two days before World Water Day, calls on policymakers and communities to rethink water policies, urging more conservation as well as recycling of wastewater as is done in Singapore. Countries may also want to consider raising prices for water, as well as searching for ways to make water-intensive sectors more efficient and less polluting, it said. [more]
UN Warns World Could Have 40 Percent Water Shortfall by 2030
Depends on what they really mean by 40% "shortfall".
Already there are huge populated areas in 2015 that are way beyond a 40% shortfall.
California, the entire US Southwest, Brazil, portions of Pakistan, India, sub-Sahara, and many of the world's islands are all having to drink bottled water shipped in.
A very large percentage of human habitation is already facing chronic fresh water shortages.
More likely is this report is dated, under-reporting the real magnitude of the problem and should be reporting "by 2015" a 40% shortage in many countries.