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IAEA Bulletin 53-1 | September 2011 | 17
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all about Water
accessability
68.6% of the world’s freshwater is in the form of ice and permanent snow in mountains. Frozen water is unavailable for consumption or use in agriculture.
Of this fraction, one third is groundwater — hidden in the Earth’s crust and often hard to access. This vital resource is poorly understood and poorly managed.
Less than 1% of this freshwater is usable and available for ecosystems and humans.
And as little as 0.3% of freshwater is easily accessible in lakes and rivers.
18 | IAEA Bulletin 53-1 | September 2011
70% IRRIGATION
22% INDUSTRY
8% DOMESTIC
Over 1.4 billion people live in river basins where they consume water faster than it can be replaced, depleting ground water.
How the
world uses
Freshwater
12 of the 15 most water scarce countries are located in the Middle East and North Africa.
By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living with absolute water scarcity.
Today, 1 Billion people have no access to safe drinking water, and only about 15% of the world’s population enjoys relative abundance.
consumption
20 | IAEA Bulletin 53-1 | September 2011
A key requirement for assuring adequate water supplies and their sustainable management is to improve the assessment of water resources.
Coastal zones support 60% of the world’s population, providing food, income and living space.
Oceans and seas receive the brunt of human waste — a serious threat to marine creatures and habitats.
Every day, 2 million tons of human waste enter water courses.
Sources: UNEP, World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), Global Environment Outlook: Environment for Development (GEO-4), Human Development Report 2006, World Business Council For Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN-Water, Young People’s Trust for the Environment, The Water Footprint of Food (2008), Professor Arjen Y. Hoekstra, University of Twente, the Netherlands, Water For Food, The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas), Sweden. Photos: Louise Potterton/IAEA (pg 18); iStock (pg17); Nancy Falcon Castro/UNIDO (pg20); Design: Ritu Kenn.
The IAEA deploys its expertise in nuclear techniques in more than 90 Member States to help locate, manage, and conserve freshwater, as well as to protect the oceans.
The IAEA databases broaden our understanding of water systems, oceans and climates.
The IAEA’s water experts help developing countries through technical cooperation, by providing advice, materials, equipment, and training, as well as offering fellowships and research projects.
working on solutions
marine pollution
iaea
