South Africans should brace themselves for a severely water-stressed future, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report on the world’s ecological footprint warned this week.
The influential international report has been released every two years for the past decade.
In 1996 it warned that the world was heading for ecological disaster. The latest report paints an even bleaker picture of the future if consumers cannot curb their hunger for resources.
A new feature is the inclusion of a water footprint. The report finds that about 50 countries face moderate or severe water stress and that the number of people suffering from year-round or seasonal water shortages is likely to increase because of climate change.
‘South Africa will be one of the countries hardest hit by water scarcity in 2025,†said Deon Nel, WWF Sanlam Living Waters Partnership manager. ‘A shortage of water will not only affect economic growth — there won’t be enough water for some people to live on.â€
The report finds that each person in the world consumes about 1,24-million litres of water a year — about half the volume of an Olympic swimming pool — or nearly 3 400 litres daily.
Each American consumes 6 800 litres a day, compared to 2 500 litres in South Africa.
Heavy past investment in water infrastructure, such as dams, had saved South Africa from having to tackle water scarcity.
‘But the party is over,†he said, warning that climate change will make it increasingly difficult to fill dams.
With 98% of South Africa’s water resources already allocated, additional resources were required. It was unclear where they would come from.
Nel added that the lack of investment in municipal water treatment plants had worsened South Africa’s water crunch and that there were huge problems of water quality.
Measuring the world’s ecological footprint, the WWF report finds that two planets will be needed by 2030 to keep pace with the demand for resources. Human society is exceeding the earth’s carrying capacity by about 30%, with the United States and China having the largest ecological footprints.
The report also raises the alarm about the fall in bird and mammal populations, saying the indices for both suggested a 20% decline between 1970 and 2005.
One exception was South Africa’s southern right whale, whose population had increased significantly due to conservation efforts.
Grasslands, the report warned, were under enormous pressure. In South Africa they were some of the most threatened biomes, under pressure from coal mining and uncontrolled development, said Morné du Plessis, WWF’s chief executive in South Africa
‘Our grasslands sustain major economic, agricultural, industrial and urban centres,†Du Plessis warned. ‘They have an indigenous species diversity which is second only to the Cape Floristic Region.â€
How we let our water drain away
The WWF living planet and water footprint report shows where the world’s water is going:
l Meat, milk, leather and other livestock products account for 23% of global water use in agriculture. The industry uses up to 1 150 litres of water per person per day.
l Wearing a cotton T-shirt today? It took 2 900 litres to produce it — and that’s before you’ve put it in the washing machine. About 3,7% of the world’s water used for crop cultivation goes on cotton.
l The average person uses 70g of sugar per day, equivalent to 100 litres of water. Cane sugar consumes 3,4% of the water used for crops worldwide.
l It takes 75 litres of water to produce a 250ml glass of beer — most of it used in growing the barley.