Rich countries urged to act on global water shortage

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If you think water shortage is a problem encountered only by countries in the Third World, think again. Assessment reports conducted by the United Nations and the World Wildlife Fund reveal that having plenty of money does not necessarily mean having plenty of water.

Highly industrialized nations are increasingly experiencing water shortages like the rest of the developing world because of climate change and poor water management.

A recent report released by the World Wildlife Fund indicated that the most affluent countries in the world now suffer water shortage because of industrialization, rising living standards and changing diets that include more food that require larger amounts of water to produce.

A number of the wealthiest cities in the world utilize more water than can be replenished. London’s leaking and aging water mains waste around water that is equivalent to 300 Olympic swimming pools’ water.

To make matters worse, rich countries consume even the water of the developing world. Its demand for cheaper products for the production of clothing, fruits, vegetables, and even jewelry leads to a wasteful use of water resources, according to the WWF.

In line with the global effort to battle climate change, the WWF is also knocking on the doors of other wealthy countries by asking them to encourage more international cooperation over water.

Because of population and urban growth, water shortages are becoming a grave problem. The annual world population growth is 80 million, meaning, the world will see “substantially more people” residing in urban and coastal areas open the possibility of having scarce water resources.

The United Nations and other conservation organizations now encourages global water conservation and appeals well-off states to lead by example through setting actions that will help manage pollution and repair aging water infrastructure.

Affluent European countries like Britain have proposed steps in order to stop the problem of water shortage. The Environment Agency has proposed the compulsory use of water meters in the southern part of England within six years. This is to extend to the remaining parts of England and Wales within a period of 25 years. The proposal aims to reduce consumption from an average 148 liters per person per day to 130 liters within 20 years.

Restrictions on water in hospitals and schools are also demanded. The proposals are put forward in a water resources strategy document, which suggests that climate change could bring drought to many parts of the country, particularly the south of England.

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