1.5b people face extreme water stress

WASHINGTON - Nearly one-quarter of the world's population, or almost 1.5 billion people, live in 17 countries vulnerable to water shortages close to "day zero" conditions, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The World Resources Institute's updated Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas ranks water stress, drought risk and riverine flood risk using a peer-reviewed methodology.

"Agriculture, industry, and municipalities are drinking up 80 percent of available surface and groundwater in an average year" in the 17 worst affected countries, the report said.

"When demand rivals supply, even small dry shocks - which are set to increase due to climate change - can produce dire consequences" such as the recent water crises in Cape Town, South Africa; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Chennai, India, the report said.

The Middle East and North Africa are home to 12 of the most stressed countries, while India, which is ranked 13, has more than three times the population of the other 16 in its category combined.

"The recent water crisis in Chennai gained global attention, but various areas in India are experiencing chronic water stress as well," said Shashi Shekhar, India's former water secretary, adding that the tool could help authorities prioritize risks.

Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, United Arab Emirates, San Marino, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman and Botswana made up the top 17 vulnerable countries.

"Water stress is the biggest crisis no one is talking about. Its consequences are in plain sight in the form of food insecurity, conflict and migration, and financial instability," said Andrew Steer, CEO of the World Resources Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington.

Another 27 countries comprised the "high baseline water stress" list.

Even countries with low average water stress can have dire hot spots, the report found. While the US ranks a comfortable 71 on the country list, the state of New Mexico faces water stress on par with the United Arab Emirates.

Agence France-presse

(China Daily 08/07/2019 page11)