Crisis worse than thought as four billion face severe water shortage

At least two-thirds of the global population, over 4 billion people, now live with severe water scarcity for at least one month every year, revealing that water shortages, one of the most dangerous challenges the world faces, is far worse than previously thought, says new research. Those living with fragile water resources are in India, China, but also central and western US, Australia and even London, and they are set to worsen. Yemen could run out of water within a few years, with others such as Pakistan, Iran and Mexico on borrowed time. Farming is the biggest user of water and the growing global population requires more food. Furthermore, changing diets are having a huge impact, as people with rising income eat more meat. This comes as a new policy brief to the UK Foreign Office warns that the risks of climate change should be assessed in the same way as risks to national security or public health. They highlight that climate change dangers are now no longer long-term issues; mass migration, flooding and drought are already happening.

About four billion people, or two-thirds of the world’s population, face severe water shortages during at least one month every year, far more than was previously thought, according to Arjen Y. Hoekstra, a professor of water management at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

In a paper published Friday in the journal Science Advances, Dr. Hoekstra and his colleague Mesfin M. Mekonnen designed a computer model to create what they say is a more accurate picture of water scarcity around the world. Severe water scarcity can lead to crop failure and low crop yields, which could cause food price increases as well as famine and widespread starvation.

An area experiences severe water scarcity when its farms, industries and households consume double the amount of water available in that area.

“That means that groundwater levels are falling, lakes are drying up, less water is flowing in rivers, and water supplies for industry and farmers are threatened,” Dr. Hoekstra said in an email.