Today, I have a guest post from Walter Wallie Ivison, Director and CEO of World Environmental Solutions, Australia. As usual, Atmoswater Research is not responsible for the contents of external links.
While most of us accept water in a similar way to the air we breathe, water still remains one of the concerns for most of the world's population illustrated by the number of hits on Google these days on ways to get water; 300,000 a month on water from the atmosphere is a good example. As we continue to pollute our waters, less fresh water is becoming available for us to drink. More rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers are drying up as the years pass. As bodies of water around the world continue to dry up, we’re seeing more drought conditions spread. There are dust storms in places which have never experienced them until now. As time flows, the amount of agricultural land shrinks, and deserts are growing.
Here are some of the signs of an upcoming global water crisis and some links you may be interested in reading.
#1 It is being projected that by the year 2030, global demand for water will be 40 percent higher than it is today.
#2 Worldwide demand for fresh water tripled during the last century, and is now doubling every 21 years.
#3 According to USAID, one-third of the population of the earth will be facing severe or chronic water shortages by the year 2025.
#4 Of the 60 million people added to the world’s cities every year, the vast majority of them live in impoverished areas that have no sanitation facilities whatsoever.
#5 It is estimated that 75 percent of the surface water in India is now contaminated by human and agricultural waste.
#6 If you can believe it, according to a UN study on sanitation, far more people in India have access to a cell phone than to a toilet.
#7 In the developing world, 90 percent of all wastewater is discharged completely untreated into local rivers, streams or lakes.
#8 Every 8 seconds, somewhere in the world a child dies from drinking dirty water.
#9 Due to a lack of water, Saudi Arabia has given up on trying to grow wheat and will be 100 percent dependent on wheat imports by the year 2016.
#10 In northern China, the water table is dropping one meter every single year because of drought and overpumping.
#11 Incredibly, a new desert the size of Rhode Island is created in China every single year because of drought and overpumping.
#12 In China, 80 percent of all major rivers have become so horribly polluted that they do not support any aquatic life at all at this point.
#13 Collectively, the women of South Africa walk the equivalent of the distance to the moon and back 16 times a day just to get water.
Here at World Environmental Solutions we continue to pursue clean energy and water from the atmosphere. Our ability to make water from a variety of sources free is the cutting edge of this technology exclusive to WES.
Walter Wallie Ivison, Director and CEO World Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd. www.wesolutions.com.au
