Forecasting world water requirements up to the year 2025

Abstract

A simple approach was used to forecast municipal, industrial, agricultural and power station water requirements up to the year 2025. These potential requirements were compared against the total water resources of all countries to identify areas that might face the most serious water shortages in the future. The results of this study highlight the need for urgent measures (1) to help to improve irrigation efficiency, (2) to find fair legal solutions for water allocation problems at national and international level and (3) to stop degradation of water resources by pollution.