Intensifying competition for water resources by agricultural, industrial, and domestic users has led to a sharp increase in stress on aquatic and wetland ecosystems. Moreover, the inadequacy of environmental water supplies in much of the world has been significantly exacerbated by declining trends in water quality. Many developed countries have addressed this problem by adopting laws to guarantee supplies for the environment, but such guarantees are contingent on having adequate water for urban needs and on the availability of sufficient quantities of food. No such guarantees can be provided in developing countries, which tend to neglect environmental needs and are unable to mount efforts to maintain and enhance water quality for financial reasons.