703 million people lack access to clean water
It is easy to forget that the quest for water has been one of the defining struggles of human history
India and China both grow their most water-intensive crops in some of their driest regions. If this situation continues, by 2040 most of the world will not have enough water to meet their basic demands year-round. Melbourne, Jakarta, London, Beijing, Istanbul, Tokyo, Bengaluru will face their Day zero..
United Nations Environment Programme
Freshwater can be defined as the water with less than 500 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved salts. Ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater are the sources of freshwater. Water is essential for all socio-economic development and for maintaining healthy ecosystems. As population increases and development calls for increased allocations of groundwater and surface water for the domestic, agriculture and industrial sectors, the pressure on water resources intensifies, leading to tensions, conflicts among users, and excessive pressure on the environment.