Water woes: Demand to outsrtip supply by 40% in 20 years (Times of India 03 March 2011)

LONDON: The demand for water in the world may exceed its supply by 40% within the next 20 years due to global warming and population growth, scientists have warned.
As looming water shortages threaten agriculture, industry and the communities, a new way of thinking about water is highly essential, suggested the experts who gathered at an international meeting in Canada. They warned that in the next two decades, a third of world population would get only half the water they require to meet basic needs, the Daily Mail reported.
Around 300 scientists, policy makers, and economists attended the international meeting in Ottawa hosted by the Canadian Water Network (CWN) in the run-up to the World Water Day.
Nicholas Parker, chairman of international environmental technology consultants Cleantech Group, highlighted the vast amount of "virtual water" used in farming and industry. Virtual water describes the volume of water "embedded" in the production process, he said.
For example, Parker said, 1.5 tonnes or 1,500 litres of water is required to manufacture a desk top computer. A pair of denim jeans use up six tonnes of water, while a kilogram of wheat needs one tonne of water. Similarly, three to four tonnes of water is spent for a kilogramme of chicken, while 15 to 30 tonnes of water is need for a kilogram of beef, he said. pti