ABSTRACT
Water scarcity is widely considered to present a major global challenge (e.g., Seckler et al., 1998; Postel, 1998; WWC, 2001; UNDESA, 2007; Chartres and Varma, 2011; Vidal, 2012), often spurring language of a global “water crisis” (e.g., BBC, 2002; National Geographic, 2003; UN, 2006). Postel (1998), for example, questioned whether there will be enough water for food production in 2025. The World Water Council (WWC, 2001) described “the gloomy arithmetic of water.” The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2007) declared that water scarcity “will be among the main problems to be faced by many societies and the world in the 21st century.” Chartres and Varma (2011) state that the world faces an emerging water crisis due to worsening water shortage and scarcity.
