Ajit Solanki / AP
- The World Resources Institute has identified 17 countries that face "extremely high" levels of water stress.
- "Water stress" measures how much competition there is over water, meaning where demand is highest and supply is lowest.
- The 17 countries are Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, United Arab Emirates, San Marino, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman, and Botswana.
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One quarter of the world’s population faces worrying levels of water stress.
The World Resources Institute, a non-profit, released a report this month identifying 17 countries face "extremely high" levels of water stress. Twelve of the countries are in Middle East and North Africa.
"Water stress" measures how much competition there is over water, meaning where demand is highest and supply is lowest.
Since the 1960s, water withdrawals have doubled globally, with the water primarily being used for agriculture, industry, and municipalities, the report said.
Here are photos and maps showing what it’s like living with extremely high levels of water stress.
The World Resource Institute released new data showing the levels of water stress across the globe. The map shows water stress (marked in red) is often near the equator.
WRI / Aqueduct
Qatar, a desert state without a single river, is the most water-stressed country in the world. Due to a growing economy and population, water use rose from 437 million cubic meters to 741 million cubic meters between 2006 and 2013. Households use the most water, followed by agriculture and then industry.
Wikimedia
Sources: Doha News, Nations Encyclopedia, Qatar Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics
Israel, the second worst, has been dealing with droughts since 2013. In 2018, Israel’s official water authority said its lakes, rivers, and aquifers were sitting at 100-year-lows. In recent years, five desalination plants were built on the Mediterranean coast, which provide 70% of the country’s drinking water.
Caron Creighton / AP
Source: Times of Israel
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (James Pasley)