Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 9.4 The annual per capita renewable freshwater resources
Country
Renewable
freshwater resource
per capita (m
3
)
Country
Renewable
freshwater
resource per
capita (m
3
)
Greenland
10,522,275
Bosnia and Herzegovina
9,939
French Guiana
608,817
Estonia
9,205
Iceland
538,878
Guatemala
8,130
Guyana
315,678
United States
7,951
Suriname
236,836
Belarus
7,866
Congo
230,142
Lithuania
7,377
Papua New Guinea
121,791
Greece
6,465
Gabon
113,247
Mexico
4,353
Bhutan
106,292
Mauritania
3,546
Canada
8,3931
Luxembourg
3,421
Peru
66,339
Cuba
3,402
Liberia
61,159
Japan
3,328
Chile
54,868
Ukraine
3,034
Lao People
'
s Dem. Rep.
53,752
France
3,003
Brazil
43,891
Italy
2,936
Panama
43,539
United Kingdom
2,683
Russian Federation
31,877
Uzbekistan
2,656
Sierra Leone
28,778
Afghanistan
2,389
Finland
20,737
Germany
2,285
Argentina
20,410
Belgium
1,882
Sweden
20,226
India
1,582
Australia
18,372
Egypt
1,065
Serbia
17,824
Kenya
779
Bulgaria
14,123
Algeria
417
Mongolia
13,176
Israel
237
Turkmenistan
12,067
China, Hong Kong SAR
213
Austria
10,075
Kuwait
7
(Krapivin and Varotsos 2007). These data visually show how the world water
resources are irregularly distributed.
Besides, these data illustrate the existing socio-economic contrasts. About every
fifth man in the developing world (they total about 1.1 billion) is subjected every day
to the risk of falling ill for lack of good-quality drinking water. The main problem
here is not the absence of water at all but adverse socio-economic conditions.
The major consumer of fresh water of rivers, lakes and underground sources is
known to be agriculture (about 70 % on a global scale and up to 90 % in many
developing countries). Since in the nearest future the enhancing use of irrigation
will face a de
cit of fresh-water resources, the ef
cient use of fresh water becomes
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