Everyone needs water to keep his fluid balance and body temperature at level, and the blood fluid. At a moisture loss of seven percent becomes blood syrupy and various organs may fail.
The world's population and water use per person continues to grow, the availability and potable water continues to decline. The world population is grown last century by a factor of three, the use of drinking water worldwide by a factor of seven. Since 1970, the amount of water available per person has fallen by 40%.
Drought, salinization, pollution, deep pumping of groundwater for irrigation and industrial use and flood are making water unusable or inaccessible. Everyone knows the pictures of cracked, dry sediments and soils, especially in developing countries. Access to water is unevenly distributed.

1.1 billion people still lack access to clean, safe drinking water, and this number can only increase due to scarcity of drinking water. Two in five earthlings have sufficient water available.

By day four thousand children under five die from diseases caused by lack of clean water. Drinking dirty water kills people, by a simple disease like diarrhea.


Around the Mediterranean and in densely populated countries of northwestern Europe has a third of the population less than 5,000 m³ per year. In Europe (roughly) 54% of the water is used by industry, 26% from agriculture and 20% for domestic purposes.

The Belgian is with its 110 liters daily consumption below the average of Europeans with 150 to 160 liters per day. Americans use an average of 600 liters / day.

China is facing a serious shortage of cereals as industry and cities absorb more and more of the limited water resources.

The impact of cotton production for the Aral Sea in the former Soviet Union is known. In twenty years, the water is only half, and that is now surrounded by a plain desert. Other water sources in the wide area are heavily polluted by toxic agrochemicals. Remaining water is a source of diseases: cancer, liver and kidney ailments, skin diseases, birth defects and miscarriages.

Mexico City has ever arisen on islands and floating gardens in a large lake in a lush valley. The last five hundred years, the lakes were pumped to furnish the growing population water, which allows many foundations of this densely populated metropolis to sink deeper and deeper. Rivers are diverted to supply the city with water, but there is an impending shortage.

All 191 members of the United Nations endorsed in September 2000 to reach before 2015 the Seventh MDG (,Millennium Development Goals). Then the number of people without access to safe drinking water would have to be halved compared to 1990.
The UN predicts that by 2025 the demand for water will be 56% larger and exceed the quantity available. Nearly a third of the world's population, about 2.7 billion people will face in the next 25 years with severe water shortages.
Water could be more expensive in the future than oil. And there may arise wars. Everyone eventually wants to survive.


The coming years will also act to water conflicts between countries, some germs are already visible. Several prominent repeat as since the '60s that the next world war will be for water. WWIII stands for Water War.

Czech Republic and Slovakia litigation before the International Court of Justice on the waters of the Danube.

Netherlands and Belgium have disagreements about the quality of the Meuse.

The relationship between Botswana and Namibia worsened by plans of Namibia to build a pipeline to lead the water from the shared Okavango River to East Namibia.

Explosive situation in the Middle East: Jordan is dependent for its water supply from the Jordan. Israel obtains twice as much water from the river as Jordan. With the Palestinians, Israel has closed a controversial agreement on the distribution of water in the occupied territories.

Egypt has threatened war against Sudan, which threatens to drain water at the upper stream of the Nile that for Egypt is vital. Their 111 m high electricity -producing Aswan dam prevents flooding and the Nile banks brackish and are infertile.

Iraq (formerly Mesopotamia) is for its water depending on the Euphrates and Tigris, which originate in Turkey. Late 80s began the “Southeastern Anatolia Project“ meaning the construction of 19 power plants and 22 dams on the Euphrates and Tigris, estimated at 32 billion dollars. Ankara wants 1.7 million hectares of irrigated land, and hence become the garden of Europe and Arabia. Syria and Iraq fear for their water supply.

In 1976, India began the construction of the Farakka dam on the Ganges to lead off water to the port of Calcutta and guarantee navigability as permanent. This reduces the amount of incoming water in Bangladesh. That now already ensures tensions.

Sustainable production and fair distribution of water is an increasingly serious issue.
The two largest European water multinationals Suez and Vivendi, have a market share of seventy percent together. Their goal is obviously (more) profit.
The drinking water market will be further and more privatized.
In Punjab (India) the price of the water was so high that a quarter of their household income was sometimes lost to it.
In Lusaka (Zambia) accounts amounted to half of the family income. Who could not pay, got the water supply closed.



The biggest problem of Las Vegas is now: water. The water consumption is greater than the supply. In 2007, Lake Mead was about 8 meters below the level of three years earlier, and that seems to continue. Water shall be imported from the northern states and from the water bank in Arizona.
The average water consumption per person / day in Las Vegas is 880 liters. In the Netherlands it is 128 liters. Hotels use 70% of the total. They often own drilled wells and recycle 70%. Much water is used outdoors.
Spraying should only on Monday (odd house numbers) and Tuesday (even numbers). Xeriscaping is required.



Xeriscaping is since 1985 a form of landscaping, which is designed to use Water effectively in a dry environment. The concept comes from arid and water-scarce regions and expands under the influence of environmental movements.

Zeroscaping arose from incorrect pronunciation and as laughable compared to a garden without work, with some gravel, concrete and rock. Meanwhile, the concept got a right to exist, and there were also drought-resistant native plants, succulents, cacti and statues at.
(Xeroscaping is a misspelling, a combination of the previous two terms.)

Xeri is Greek and means 'dry'. Xeri gardening seeks a wise use of water to reduce the environmental impact of the garden with drought- tolerant, native plants, drip irrigation (with timers), mulching and cover crops. There is worked with a lot of open space and stones.

A good and natural looking xeri garden is carefully planned, and soil conditioned. Organic material is introduced in order to keep water. Plants that need more moisture are grouped so that others can use their waste water. Shadow of protective walls and alcoves reduces evaporation.
Less weeding, pruning, watering, lawn mowing... are additional advantages.

For the sake of saving water are there in the U.S. municipalities that stimulate competition and open garden days.

See also <Environment> at <Water theft>, and under <Water>: pollution, consumption...

Because of the drought we saw empty puddles everywhere.