United Nations Warns of Overuse of Water for Ag
An assessment of fresh water use around the world comes with a warning that damage is likely to get worse.
Compiled by staff
Published: Mar 21, 2006
Water is the most basic resource for agriculture, whether it falls as rain or gets to crops through irrigation pipes. The United Nations is issuing a global warning about water use in agriculture, noting that overuse of water may be the biggest environmental threat to the worlds freshwater resources.
Global International Waters Assessment was released late Monday ahead of the United Nation's annual "World Water Day" on March 22. Conducted by the UN Environment Program, the report claims that the impact of irrigation from farm is broad. Key issues identified in the report include reduced river flows, rising salinity in estuaries, lower fish populations and falling aquatic plant populations. The report notes that these problems will worsen by 2020, according to a Reuters report.
Reuters quoted Gotthilf Hempel, a professor from Germany's Kiel University, saying: "The fight for water will be more dramatic than the fight for oil in the long run. For oil we have substitutes, for water we have none." Hempel helped draw up the report.
The report is available online at www.giwa.net.
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Tagged: Irrigation, farm, United Nations, UN
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