exploitable water resources remain constant at 1560 billion cubic meters, while withdrawal climb up from 790 in 1977 to 3800 billion cubic meters in 2006, and is projected to reach 5000 billion by 2010, causing a growing deficit that may impose shortage of water to three quarters of the planet by 2050

Growing freshwater withdrawals from limited exploitable reserves may cause dramatic scarcity of water to three quarters of the planet by 2050. The gap between exploitable resources and consumption widens, even in the best scenario (see Freshwater deficit).

 

World freshwater withdrawals & available resources

 

Water Use (Total Water Withdrawal)

Water Resources (Total Exploitable)
Billion Cubic Meters
1977 791 1,559
1982 881 1,559
1987 2,013 1,559
1992 2,148 1,559
1997 1,072 1,559
2002 3,816 1,559

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Sources: see Sources of data

 

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