Artikel

Population and Water

Water is crucial for all life on earth. It plays

an essential role in our health, economy, food

production, and environment. Safe drinking water

and freshwater are imperative for development and

public health since 21 of the 37 primary diseases in

developing countries are related to water and

sanitation.1 Despite its importance, water is a finite

natural resource and cannot be created. Instead, the

hydrologic cycle recycles water through the

atmosphere.1 The fact that our supply is finite has

dire implications on our world population of nearly

7 billion people and growing. The global water

consumption rate doubles every twenty years, a pace

that is double the rate of population growth.1 If

population and consumption trends persist, it is

estimated that the demand for water will surpass its

availability by 56%,1 and 1.8 billion people2 will be

living in regions of water scarcity by 2025. This

situation is exacerbated by the fact that developing

countries, already experiencing water-stress, often

have the highest population growth rates—bringing

more people into a region that already cannot

support them

---