Transboundary Water Resources

Global Water Resources Only this portion is renewable Total = 1,386,000,000 km3 Fresh = 35,029,000 km3 (2.5% of total)

Global Water Cycle Principal sources of fresh water for human activities 44,800 km 3

Global Water Availability

Population and Water Use global freshwater use is ~4000 km3/year ~10% of the renewable supply (44,800km3/year)

Global Water Withdrawal

Global Water Use

Water Supply and Sanitation In billion people lacked access to improved water sources (17% of the global population) Of those, nearly two thirds live in Asia (733 million people) In sub-Saharan Africa, 42% of the population is without improved water 2.6 billion people lacked access to improved sanitation (42% of the world’s population) Over half of those live in China and India (nearly 1.5 billion people) In sub-Saharan Africa, sanitation coverage is only 36%. In developing countries, 69% of rural dwellers lack access to improved sanitation, as opposed 27% of urban dwellers.

Water Supply and Sanitation Diarrhoea (WHO 2004) 1.8 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera); 90% are children under 5, mostly in developing countries 88% of diarrhoeal disease is attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene Improved access to water supply and sanitation can reduce diarrhoea morbidity Water supply: 6% – 25% (108,000 – 450,000 people) Sanitation: 32% (576,000 people) Total: million

Poverty and Development > 1 billion people live in extreme poverty (< $1 a day) Sub-Saharan Africa - > 15 of every 100 children die before the age of 5 Kenya - fertilizer costs > 2x what it costs in France or the U.S. Ethiopia - so deforested that rural households cannot use manure as fertilizer because they need it as cooking fuel. In 2002 developed countries promised to give $210 billion (0.7% of GNP) in ODA to end poverty gave $107 billion (U.S. $28 bln)* 2008 – gave $120 billion (U.S. $26 bln) 2015 – need $195 billion * $4.3 bln for WSS

Challenges & U.S. Response What’s the problem? Lack of capacity Competing interests Decentralization It’s not all about water It’s also about: political will, governance, and globalization Senator Paul Simon “Water for the Poor Act” 2005 Recognizes importance of water and codified the internationally agreed goals (MDGs) Objectives of U.S. strategy Increase access to, and effective use of, safe water and sanitation

International River Basins Over 40% of the world lives in a shared basin (263 of ‘em) GEO-3: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK

Water Wars? No. Harbingers of conflict that should be considered: Unilateral development Internationalized basin No / ineffective institutions General animosity Downstream hegemony Some warning signs: Large scale development Rapid changes Civil unrest

Water in the International Arena We continuously read about the threat of "water wars" in the press, where one country is likely to use military force to achieve its objectives of water use. Several international groups have warned of the threat of a "water crisis" looming in the coming century. Several area of the world are regularly mentioned as having tense negotiations over shared river basins: Jordan, Ganges-Bramaputra, and Tigres-Euphrates. In US, shared water resources with Canada and Mexico are now under increased scrutiny and negotiation resulting from the environmental side agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement. In EU, multiple water “directives” are being implemented across 25 nations.

Domestic Water Use Survival = 5 L/day Drinking, cooking, bathing, and sanitation = 50 L United States = 250 to 300 L (Includes yard watering) Netherlands = 104 L Somalia = 9 L L/c/d* (high-income) L/c/d (low-income) L/c/d (water scarce) * L/c/d = liters per person per day

Water Stress Index Based on human consumption linked to population growth Domestic requirement: 100 L/c/d = 40 m 3 /c/yr Associated agricultural, industrial & energy need: 20 x 40 m 3 /c/yr = 800 m 3 /c/yr Total need: 840 m 3 /c/yr about 1000 m 3 /c/yr

Water Stress Index Water availability below 1,000 m 3 /c/yr chronic water related problems impeding development and harming human health Water sufficiency: >1700 m 3 /c/yr Water stress: <1700 m 3 /c/yr Water scarcity: <1000 m 3 /c/yr

Water Service Level & Health Service LevelAccess MeasureNeeds MetLevel of Health Concern No access (< 5 l/c/d) More than 1000m or 30 minutes collection time Consumption – cannot be assured; Hygene – not possible Very High Basic access (> 20 l/c/d) Between 100m and 1000m and 5 – 30 minutes collection time Consumption – should be assured; Hygene – handwashing and basic food hygene possible, laundry/bathing difficult High Intermediate access (~50 l/c/d) Water delivered through tap on-site (< 100m and 5 minutes) Consumption – Assured Hygene – all basic needs assured Low Optimal access (> 100 l/c/d) Water supplied through multiple taps continuously Consumption – all needs met; Hygene – all needs met Very Low Howard, G. and J. Bartram, Domestic Water Quantity, Service Level and Health, Report WHO/SDE/WSH/03.02, World Health Organization, 2003

Water Stress (m3/person/year)