The Atlas of Water. Maggie Black

Home 54 There are huge discrepancies in the amount of water people use in their home, depending on lifestyle and availability. 17 Water and Disease 56 Water’s critical role in hygiene and sanitation, and in the spread of diarrhoeal disease, confers on it a central place in public health. Part 4 Water for Economic Production 58 18 Water Footprint 60 Industrialized lifestyles involve the consumption of large amounts of “virtual” water embedded in foodstuffs and in manufactured items. 19 Water for Irrigation 62 Around two-thirds of water withdrawals are for irrigation, which supports a fifth of the world’s cropland. 20 Water for Fisheries 64 Fish make a major contribution to the global food supply and are increasingly farmed as a cash crop. 21 Water for Industry 66 Just over 20 per cent of all freshwater withdrawals are for industry. 22 Water for Energy 68 Water plays a vital role in the generation of electricity. 23 Transport and Leisure 70 Water is integral to many productive and cultural activities not easily traceable in economic statistics. 24 Water for Sale 72 The sale of water is an inevitable part of any organized delivery system, but in general the wealthy pay less than the poor.

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      Part 5 Damaged Water 74 25 Dammed Rivers 76 Nearly 60 per cent of major rivers are impeded by large dams. 26 Dispossession by Water 78 Rivers need to be managed so as to sustain the lives of those dependent on them. 27 Water Pollutants 80 Globally, 2 million tons of sewage, industrial and agricultural waste are discharged into the world’s waterways every year. 28 Water Pollution 82 Rapid urbanization and accelerating industrialization are causing increased water pollution and corresponding environmental threats. 29 Damaged Waterways 84 Industrialization is damaging the world’s waterways. 30 Threatened Ecologies 86 Even subtle changes in quality, temperature or seasonal availability of fresh water can have a devastating effect on the living organisms that inhabit it. Part 6 Water for the Future 88 31 Technological Fixes 90 Technological innovations and adaptations have a role in meeting the mounting threats to freshwater supplies. 32 The Rising Price of Water 92 Water is a vital resource to which everyone has a right, but it is also seen as a commodity for which a realistic price should be paid. 33 Treaties and Obligations 94 More than 260 river basins are shared between countries, and equitable use of their waters requires negotiation and agreement. 34 Striving for Co-operation 96 The spectre of growing competition between states over water has generated fighting talk, especially in retaliation against upstream behaviour. 35 Managing the Future 98 The real world water crisis is a crisis of water management. Part 7 Data Tables and Sources 100 Needs and Resources 102 Water Uses 110 Sources 118 Index 125