As populations grow and water use per person rises, demand for freshwater is soaring. Yet the supply of freshwater is finite and threatened by pollution. To avoid a crisis, many countries must conserve water, pollute less, manage supply and demand, and slow population growth. Caught between growing demand for freshwater on one hand and limited and increasingly polluted water supplies on the other, many developing countries face difficult choices.
Populations continue to grow rapidly.
Among countries likely to run short of water in the next 25 years are Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Peru. Parts of other large countries, such as China, already face chronic water problems. In much of the world polluted water, improper waste disposal, and poor water management cause serious public health problems. Such water-related diseases as malaria, cholera, typhoid, and schistosomiasis harm or kill millions of people every year. Overuse and pollution of water supplies also are taking a heavy toll on the natural environment and pose increasing risks for many species of life.