Without reforms, the world would be plunged into a water crisis that could be crippling for hot, dry countries, the United Nations warned yesterday.
In an annual report, the UN said abuse of water was now so great that on current trends, the world would face a 40 per cent "global water deficit" by 2030 - the gap between demand for water and replenishment of it.
"The fact is there is enough water to meet the world's needs, but not without dramatically changing the way water is used, managed and shared," it said in its annual World Water Development Report.
"Measurability, monitoring and implementation" were urgently needed to make water use sustainable, said Michel Jarraud, head of the agency UN-Water and the World Meteorological Organisation.
Surging population growth was one of the biggest drivers behind the coming crisis, the report said. Earth's current tally of around 7.3 billion humans is growing by about 80 million per year, reaching a likely 9.1 billion by 2050.
