Why are there problems surrounding fresh water issues?
Only 2 percent of the water available on earth is fresh water, and this water is not evenly distributed around the globe. Many of the largest river basins in the world run through thinly populated regions, while, in many populated areas, there is much less water than people need. In these parts of the world we are running up water deficits using more water than is being replaced naturally. This is not only because of an expanding population, but also because of increasing demands for agricultural irrigation, for industry, urbanization and rising living standards. In fact global water consumption rose sixfold in the last century more than double the rate of population growth. It is estimated that in 1996, 54 per cent of all the available freshwater in the world was being used. By 2025 this is expected to climb to 70 per cent just to meet the needs of a growing population.
