WASHINGTON (AN) — A quarter of the world's 8 billion population live in 25 countries that regularly use up nearly their entire available water supply, according to a global research foundation.
Low supply routinely puts these most water-stressed countries at risk of temporarily running out of water to meet the demand for drinking, agriculture and industry, the World Resources Institute says in a new report on Wednesday.
Water stress measures how much a country uses its available water supply to meet demand. Higher usage makes a country more vulnerable to water shortages, particularly during a drought, heat wave or other event that spikes demand.
The report shows "extremely high water stress" afflicts 83% of the population in the Middle East and North Africa and 74% in South Asia. This level of stress describes a nation's withdrawal of at least 80% of an available water supply.
The top 10 most water-stressed countries are: Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt.
"Even a short-term drought puts these places in danger of running out of water and sometimes prompts governments to shut off the taps," WRI says in its quadrennial report. "We’ve already seen this scenario play out in many places around the world, such as India, Iran, Mexico, South Africa and the U.K."
New data from its Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas also show that half the world's population live in "highly water-stressed conditions" for at least a month every year – and the number is expected to rise to 60% by 2050. This level of stress describes a nation using at least 40% of its available water supply.
The other 15 countries regularly at risk of running out of water are Libya, Yemen, Botswana, Iran, Jordan, Chile, San Marino, Belgium, Greece, Tunisia, Namibia, South Africa, Iraq, India and Syria.
