The status of the world’s current water situation is the subject
of many major studies and reports. When combined with
demographic predictions, the conclusions are relatively consistent
in identifying the impending crisis. Global water demand
(in terms of water withdrawals), is projected to increase
by 55% by 2050, mainly because of the growing demands from
manufacturing (400%), thermal electricity generation (140%)
and domestic use (130%) (OECD, 2012). As a result, freshwater
availability will be increasingly strained over this time period,
and more than 40% of the global population is projected
to be living in areas of severe water stress by 2050. There
is also clear evidence that groundwater supplies are diminishing,
with an estimated 20% of the world’s aquifers being
over-exploited, some critically so (United Nations World Water
Assessment Programme, WWAP 2014).