Freshwater is precious !

Scarcity of fresh water occurs when the amount of water withdrawn from lakes, rivers or groundwater is so great that water supplies are no longer adequate to satisfy all human or ecosystem requirements, bringing about increased competition among potential demands. Scarcity is likely to occur sooner in regions where the per capita availability of water is low to start with, and with high population growth. It becomes more serious if demand per capita is growing owing to changes in consumption patterns.

In general, the quality of the water is also deteriorating. The total quantity and the types of pollutants reaching freshwater systems have grown over the years, since the 1970s, and include organic matter, heavy metals, and thousands of chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides

The ground water levels are also going down.

Africa, West Asia including India, China, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia etc are already facing a shortage of fresh clean water. If present consumption patterns in the world continue, two out of every three persons on Earth will live in water-stressed conditions by the year 2025. The declining state of the world's freshwater resources, in terms of quantity and quality, may prove to be the dominant issue on the environment and development agenda of the coming century.

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	Centre for science and environment
	United Nations Environment Programme