Water Conflicts Case Studies

• Has 4% of the world's freshwater, but 16% of its population
• Demand will probably exceed supply of water by 2020
• 43% of precipitation never reaches rivers and aquifers
• Urban water demand is expected to double
• Industrial demand is expected to triple
• Overabstraction of 21 million wells has caused the water tables to fall rapidly

• Has 8% of the world's freshwater but must meet the needs of 22% of the world's population
• Two-thirds of Chinese cities do not have enough water all year round
• China uses irrigation to produce 70% of its food
• Yellow River and major aquifers are running dry

• Beijing, China's capital, may soon run out of water

Water supply problems:

• Overexploited aquifers
• Seasonal rainfall (most precipitation between Jul and Sep)
• Floods
• Droughts
• Salt water incursion (poor water quality)
• Contamination of upstream rivers
• Overabstraction

Water demand problems:

• Second largest populated city
• Rapid rural-urban migration
• Heavy industry use
• Domestic water use (better quality of life)
• High agricultural use