Ensuring that people have access to safe and affordable water supplies will be a major challenge for many developing countries as populations grow and agriculture and industry expand over the coming decades.
One of the greatest threats to water security is simply scarcity, where demand outstrips supply. This can result from geography, overexploitation or inadequate infrastructure, and climate change will put further pressure on the availability of freshwater in many parts of the world.
Nations or regions that are suffering from scarcity can achieve water security by the dual strategy of increasing water availability (such as with improved water storage, wastewater recycling or desalination) and cutting demand (such as with more efficient irrigation or food imports).
To read the full, original article click on this link: We need a new metric for water scarcity in Africa - SciDev.Net
Author: Richard Taylor
