Water shortage: a quarter of humanity is close to "zero day"

• Tweeter

• republish

Transport of water basins in Dakar (undated illustration). REUTERS / Ricci Shryock

Seventeen countries, mainly in the Middle East and North Africa, are facing severe water scarcity, according to the World Resources Institute. One in four people in the world is close to "zero day", when no more water will come out of the tap.

Will access to water be the major problem of the 21st century? In Chennai , south-east India, the reservoirs are currently almost empty, and thirsty inhabitants. Last year, Cape Town, South Africa, was preparing for the famous "zero day", the day the water will no longer flow from the tap.

Nearly a quarter of human beings are threatened by water scarcity. This is the alarming finding of the World Resources Institute (WRI ), which released a report on world water resources on August 6th.

Qatar, Israel, Lebanon and Iran, the most affected countries

The map prepared by the American think tank in this report measures the risks of water scarcity, drought and river floods around the world. Several countries, mainly in the Middle East and North Africa, are under water stress. In other words: the demand for water is greater than the quantity available.

#DayZeroWatch - New @WRIAqueduct data shows which countries are facing #waterstress, and reveals several emerging trends and hotspots. Learn more: https://t.co/XJkY3VcP7I pic.twitter.com/5gVnQAtNi6

" We have a diagonal of thirst that goes from Tangier to the north-east of China. The levels of water stress are very worrying, below 1,000 m3 of water per capita and per year. In a number of states, we are below a threshold of extreme water stress, with a level of 500 m3 of water per capita and per year, "says Franck Galland, associate researcher at the Foundation for strategic research , specialist in security issues related to water resources

" These countries have known the consequences of Arab Spring, high-intensity conflict, as in Iraq. There are a number of countries already in a state of great instability, which had water stress problems before the beginning of the conflicts, which were accentuated by the fact that the infrastructures were destroyed . "

The 17 most affected countries are Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, United Arab Emirates, San Marino, Bahrain, Pakistan , Turkmenistan, Oman, Botswana and India, the second most populous country in the world.

Algeria and Morocco made relevant choices. What India or Pakistan are experiencing are choices that were not made twenty years ago.

Franck Galland

Associate Researcher at the Foundation for Strategic Research, specialist in water resources security issues

"The biggest crisis"

According to the World Resources Institute, " agriculture, industry, and municipalities absorb 80% of the available area and groundwater in an average year " in these countries where the situation is particularly critical.

" The water shortage is the biggest crisis that nobody talks about, " says institute CEO Andrew Steer. The consequences are multiple: food insecurity, conflicts, migration, financial instability, etc.

44 countries are exposed to high #waterstress, where 40% of the available supply is withdrawn every year by farms, industries & consumers. These countries are home to more than 2.5 billion people, 1/3 of the world's population. Learn more: https://t.co/uWR32yLHon #DayZeroWatch pic.twitter.com/EFEQqY0XXv

According to the report, water withdrawals worldwide have more than doubled since the 1960s, due to growing demand. " When demand rivals reserves, even small droughts, which will increase with climate change, can have terrible consequences, " the institute notes.

Europe is not spared

Twenty-seven other countries are on the list of countries with "high water scarcity", including European countries such as Belgium (23rd position), Greece (26th) and Spain (28th). France is in 59th position (medium-high risk category)

The south-west of France is a particularly deficit sector.

Eric Sauquet

Researcher in hydrology and scientific assistant director in the Irstea Waters Department

" The situation is very serious in some parts of the world, but not hopeless, " says Franck Galland. " Really bold political decisions, important and innovative financial instruments, technology and human expertise are needed to manage water supply systems more effectively . "

In March 2021, the World Water Forum will take place in Dakar. The theme of this 9th edition, the first in Sub-Saharan Africa, will be "Water Security for Peace and Development".