Archive for March 6, 2009

Erkin | March 6, 2009
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Facts and figures about water and armed conflict

At the time of the publishing of the 2nd World Water Development Report (WWDR2), it was estimated that there were over 17 million refugees and displaced persons from wars, persecutions and other causes. These people have tremendous impacts on the water resources in the area to which they have been displaced.

unep

The Post Conflict Assessment Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has shown that conflicts are almost always followed by environmental crises: chemicals leaching into waterways, damage to irrigation systems, deforestation, the destruction of infrastructure and collapses of local and national governance structures.

Rebuilding economies, damaged lives, shattered infrastructure including water and power systems, rebuilding and restoring damaged irrigation systems, removing landmines in post-conflict situations, take up 27% of all Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).

The Convention on the Prohibition of Military or any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD Convention) seeks to prohibit acts such as weather modification and harmful flood creation.
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Category: Facts and figures |
Erkin | March 6, 2009
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Facts and figures about water and food

While drinking water intake usually varies between 2 and 3 liters/person/day and other domestic water requirements for personal and household hygiene necessitate between 30 and 300 liters/person/day, the production of food requires much more: between 2,000 and 5,000 liters/person/day.

Most of the water that is used on crop production comes from rain that is stored in the ground (known as green water).

Worldwide, rainfall provides 90% of the water used by crops.

Of the world’s total land area, 13 billion hectares (ha), 12% is cultivated and approximately 27% is used for pasture. Of the 1.5 billion ha used for crops, 277 million ha of this is irrigated (18%).

In terms of population, crops equate to .25 ha/person.

Historically, irrigation comprises between 70% and 80% of all water uses. There are some countries that use up to 90% of their water for irrigation.

As a result of increased cropping intensity, the area of harvested crops under irrigation is expected to increase 30% by 2030.

Also by 2030, the amount of water that is expected to be allocated to irrigation will go up by 14%.

Information from:
the 2nd United Nations World Water Development Report: “Water, a shared responsibility”

Source: UNESCO Water Portal, October 2007

Category: Facts and figures |