engleză
Water plays a crucial role in industry, agriculture and human life. Its use has increased ten-fold between 1900 and 2000. On a global scale, about 70 % of clean water from available sources is used for agricultural purposes, primarily irrigation, with the remainder used for domestic and industrial purposes. Given demographic and economic trends, it is expected that two-thirds of the world population will live in water-stressed countries by 2025 and the world will need 40 percent more water by then.§Degradation of the environment and pollution of water resources by human activity is taking on greater importance. The world is already facing water shortages in many countries, and nearly 90 developing countries, containing close to one-half of the world s population, already experience water deficits, with resulting constraints on human and ecosystem health as well as on economic development.
