March 5, 2002 -- The currently poor and deteriorating state of water resources in many parts of the world demand integrated water resources planning and management. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the coordinating UN agency for World Water Day 2002 on March 22, highlights the following issues.
The impact of steady population growth on water availability is an increasing challenge. In fact, it has been observed that while the 20th Century was about oil, the 21stCentury will be about water.
Already today, with a world population of 6.1 billion, lack of water is a pressing problem in developing countries. As the population continues to grow - expected to exceed 9 billion in the next 50 years - the demand for water may become acute. Signs are already evident. In some developed countries, water returned to the environment is often in a polluted state thus threatening its source.
In some urban centers, demand for water not only threatens to exceed the supply, but the quality of the water itself is also a concern. While improved technology in agriculture has increased food production, demand for water has correspondingly increased. Improper irrigation practices can worsen this situation, turning fertile land into deserts.
These and other issues all point to the urgent need to improve management of our water resources. Although two-thirds of the Earth is covered in water, only a small fraction - some 2.5% - is not salty, and much of that is locked up in icecaps and glaciers. The challenge at the local, regional, and global level is how to protect the Earth's limited store of freshwater, conserve its use, and improve how it is managed. To do this, management decisions must be based on understanding of the cycle of water.
For more information, visit http://www.worldwaterday.org.
