Water Demand in Different Countries - Report Example

Water Demand in Different Countries Student Name Institution Course Name Instructor: Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Types of Water Demand 2 Factors that Affect Water Demand 3 CHINA 4 Background 4 Water Demand 5 Observation 7 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 7 Background 7 Water demand 8 Observation 10 INDONESIA 10 Introduction 10 Water demand 11 Observation 13 AUSTRALIA 13 Background 14 Water demand 14 Observation 16 SOUTH AFRICA 16 Background 16 Water demand 17 Observation 18 Analysis of Water Demand in Different Countries 18 Conclusion 19 List of References 20 Water Demand in Different Countries Introduction The importance of water in society cannot be underestimated. It determines the general health of a country. This research report focuses on water demand in several countries. It is aimed at understanding the factors that affect demand in China, United States of America, Australia, South Africa and Indonesia which is a close neighbor to Australia. The main objective is to understand water demand in the different countries and determine difference and similarities. It is important to note that water demand cannot be the same in all countries and a comprehensive knowledge will help in understanding different needs of several countries. The United Nation water reports that water demand is increasing internationally. More than 85% of the world’s population lives on the dry part of world. It also reports that more783 million people cannot access clean water while more than 2.5 billion people do not have sanitation facilities. Poor sanitation has led to an increase of water borne diseases which causes the death of about 8 million people every year. It is predicted that due to population growth to 3 billion in the next 40 years, food demand will increase by 70%. Due to urbanization and industrialization energy demand will rise by 60%. Despite this foreseen increase in demand, water resources are declining (UN water, 2014). Types of Water Demand Water demand is the water that is used and is equivalent to volume rate of flow of water that is used. According to Pahang (2013), there are several types of water demand which include public demand, industrial demand and domestic demand. Domestic demand is water that is supplied and used in households. This includes cleaning in houses, cooking, bathing, gardening, fish ponds, and swimming pools and so on. Public demand includes water that is used for public benefit and may include street cleaning, fire-fighting and irrigation of parks and public gardens. Industrial demand is the water that is used in industries and is divided into four main categories: cooling water demand, major industrial demand, large industrial demand and small to medium industrial demand. Major industrial demand covers consumption that is greater than 1000m3 per day, large industrial demand covers a daily demand of 100-500m3 while medium to small demand is that which less than 50m3 per day. Othernon-domestic demands include residential demand, institutional demand and commercial demand. Institutional demand is water that is used by institutions such as hospitals and educational centers. Depending on a countries source of livelihood, there are other demands that may seem irrelevant but require water. These include water demands that are used to produce power (geothermal demand and hydroelectric demand), irrigation demands, agricultural demands and mining demands. Irrigation demands include water that used to irrigate food and feeds while agriculture demand covers water for animals and irrigation. Mining demand is water that is used for mining and differs according to the mineral. Factors that Affect Water Demand Water demand is defined as the water that is required to fulfill all the needs of a community, a city or a country. The factors that affect water demand will vary according to the demographics of an area, its location, population and industrial or agricultural practices in the region. In most Agricultural countries such as Australia, the agricultural industry consumes most of the water that is allocated to industries. According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, the agricultural industry consumed about 59% of Australia’s water in 2011 to 2012. In industrial regions, most water is used by the industrial sector. CHINA Background China is one nation that is approaching a phase of water crisis. Apart from the reduction in water supply, the water that is currently supplied is of poor quality that is already creating health problems for the Chinese people in some regions. According to Bateman (2014), an estimate of 400 cities is currently facing water shortage while 110 of these are experiencing water scarcity. A shocking revelation is that about 55% of rivers that were in China in the 1990s have disappeared which may be one of the factors that is responsible for the upcoming water crisis. The main reason for this crisis is poor planning of water resources. The major reasons as to why the water supply is dwindling in China are urbanization, population growth, income growth and the economic structure of the country. Although there is adecrease in the population growth rate from 2.4% to 0.9%, there is population growth. A higher population increases water demand. Urbanization and income growth has led to an increase in the domestic demand due to the shift of population. By 2025, urbanization and higher incomes will have caused a doubling of domestic demand. This can be rectified by putting measures that ensure domestic water is recycled (Upali, 2005). China’s economy has been on the rise. In 2013, it grew by 7.7%. This is a great thing but it is a threat to water security. The greatest contributor to this economy is industry which contributes about 80%. In earlier years, china’s economy was dependent on Agriculture. The shift from agriculture to industry has led to an increase in industrial water demand. By 2025, industrial demand will supersede agricultural demand. These four factors have created a water security problem for China which might become a crisis if appropriate recycling and conservation measures are not enforced. The best way of handling the issue of water insecurity and poor water quality is water accounting. The Chinese government must understand the potential of all water supplies for planning purposes. Most of the water sources are rivers and basins. A majority of these are in the Northern area. As stated by Upali et al (2005 p. 7), in 2005 China had a reliable and sufficient water resources. Northern basins provided about 14 percent of the total consumption while the southern basins supplied more than 60 percent. Currently, this supplies supply less water and some of them are polluted. Water Demand The water demand in China is increasing annually. According to Amarasinghe (2005), the total water demand in 2000 was approxianately 545km3. The agricultural sector had the highest water demand of more than 70% while domestic demand was about 8% of Chinas total water demand in the year. In 2008, data from the ministry of water resources shows that agriculture accounted for 62% of demand, industry accounted for 32% and domestic and replenishment usage accounted for 14%. The increase in water consumption and consequently water demand is shown in the figure 1 below: Source: Statista 2014 Figure 1: National water consumption in China from 2001 to 2012 (billion cubic meters) In order to meet the increasing water demand China is currently working on ways of recycling water, decontaminating available water supplies and looking for alternative water sources. As explained by Bateman (2014), China has been drilling deeper to get water for the northern cities. This has led to high expenses on drilling and energy and arsenic poisoning of the water that is provided. This means that a large population of China is provided with contaminated water which poses a risk to their health. Recycling of domestic and industrial water is being enforced so as to help in reserving available water. Observation China has a high demand for safe drinking water and water for other uses. The government of China must look for strategies that will save the country from water insecurity that it has. These measures include water treatment and recycling, water conservation, water catchment points that will preserve water from floods and public awareness. The public should be encouraged to reduce water pollution as well as reduce practices that promote water wastage such as leaking taps. Most of China’s water is polluted by the people in rural areas and the awareness will reduce pollution hence improve water quality. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Background The United States of America is a state that is self-sufficient in terms of water supply and consumption. This is due to the fact that it has enough surface and underground water sources. In 2005, 80% of water used was from lakes and rivers while 20% were from underground supplies. The major areas that water is used are domestic, public supply, industrial, irrigation, aquaculture, livestock, mining and thermoelectric power. The water from underground supplies is mainly used for irrigation, livestock and mining. The main factors that affect the water supply and demand are changes in the economic structure and in interdependent sectors. For example, an increase in population will lead to an increase in meat and agricultural products and consequently, irrigation and livestock demand increases. According to Ricci et al (2005 p.5), in 1995, total water consumption in the state was about 100 billions of gallons per day but this was not constant as the population increased by 1.2% annually and water demand also increased at a higher rate. Therefore, water demand is dependent on the population needs and numbers. Water demand The greatest water demand in the USA is the thermoelectric demand. More than 50% of fresh water supplied by surface water sources and 96% of saline water withdrawal was used in this sector. In 2005, about 203,100 Million of gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were used to produce power. The second largest water demand is agricultural irrigation. It is the largest user of USA’s fresh water. The irrigation is used on crops, control of weeds, application of chemicals as well as irrigation of public parks and gardens. More surface water is used for irrigation than ground water. Most of the irrigation is acres that have sprinklers and micro irrigation systems (USGS, 2014). Other water demands include industrial demand, public demand and domestic demand. Most industrial demand is self-supplied and in 2005 this accounted for about 5% of total water use. In 2000, domestic, aquaculture, mining and livestock represented about 3% of all the water used. The water used for mining ids mostly saline water that cannot be used for drinking or industrial processes. An important observation is that more than 40million nationals have self-supplied domestic water from wells. This denotes that the government has a lesser budget in provision of water for them (USGS, 2014). More recent news mentions the fear of a water crisis. According to Wyler (2013) there is a looming water crisis in specific areas of the United States. A research project conducted by Columbia Water Center uses two metric risks calculations to understand the water risk that is in the United States. The Normalized Deficit Index (NDI) and Normalized Deficit Cumulated (NDC). The NDI measures the overall water shortage yearly during the dry period that should be supplied by water sources. The NDC is computed over a period of time. It shows the deficit that is present between the supply and water used over the period of time. From an analysis of NDI and NDC, the report by Shi et al (2013, p.2) has concluded that the mid-westregions that are involved in agricultural activities are likely to exceed their renewable supply and consequently create a water crisis that is a danger to the water security of the states. This is because the region is highly prone to long droughts that will result in the shortages. Highly affected regions will be New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, North and South Dakota and North Texas. Apart from the droughts, population increase of more than 99% is also a cause of 127% increase in water demand. An increase in water demand of the US is due to the frequent and severe droughts that have caused an overuse of surface water supplies. The drought in 2012 to 2013 has caused a decline in the Kansas aquifer levels by 4.25 feet. The drop in aquifer levels of the High Plains has forced farmers to rely on rainfall which was also low in 2013. Considering the fact that irrigation is the second largest consumer of the state’s water, the unsteadiness in the supplies that provided for it will cause farmers to explore alternative water sources. This will create an imbalance in water security(Wyler, 2013). Observation In observation, the water demand in the United States of America is also increasing. This is attributed to population increase and climatic changes especially long droughts that are leading to a drop in underground aquifer levels and rainfall. In comparison to China, the state has more stable water supply of better quality but climatic droughts are a threat to the water security. Some regions are already experiencing the shortfall but this is handled by provision from areas that have water in abundance. It is important for the state to invest in ways that will ensure that droughts will not affect the water resources in the state. INDONESIA Introduction Indonesia is one of the nations with a vast number of fresh water lakes. It has an estimate of 5,590 rivers and the largest lake in the world is in country and holds about 6% of the world’s water. It also has several islands. Despite of this, the water demand in the country is exceeding the levels of available water and clean drinking water is becoming a challenge for the Indonesian people. The country has more than 400 water enterprises that are owned by municipalities and are supplied water to small scale and medium scale households. There are also private companies that sell water and are in charge of treating, distribution, recording and billing of the water. Despite of these measures and regulating bodies that are in charge of water supply and distribution, an approximate of 80 % of the 250 million people in Indonesia do not have piped water hence they use river water. Secondly, most households do not domestic water treatment. It is reported that only 48% of Indonesian homes have proper domestic waste disposal waste methods. All other homes dispose domestic wastes into rivers which leads to pollution of most of the rivers that should be, main fresh water supply points. Industrial wastes are another source of pollution of the vast water sources in Indonesia (Panikkar, 2009). Water demand Water demand in 2000 was estimated at 156,000 million m3 per year. By 2015, this demand will have increased to 356, 000 million m3 per annum which is a double of demand in 2000. In 2002, 82% of water drawn was used for agriculture. The greatest demand is agricultural demand because the nation is highly agricultural. However, a more paramount need is domestic drinking water. It is reported that people in rural areas and some urban regions are using river water for domestic use. This includes drinking. This denotes that Indonesia is already at a crisis point that will have an effect on the health of the country (WEPA, 2014). Figure 2: figure showing decline in agricultural demand in Indonesia Industrial demand of water is also high but not as high as the agricultural demand. In 2002, only 6.5% of water withdrawn was used for industrial demands. In 2007, Indonesia is reported to have had an industrial water withdrawal of 2,465,000 million m3 per year. This amount constituted of both renewable water sources and underground water. It is important to note that most industries are self-supplied. In recent years, the rate of industrialization in the country is increasing hence increasing the industrial demand(Panikkar, 2009). Trends in the water demand are the decrease in agricultural demand while industrial demand and domestic demand in increasing. The decrease in agricultural demand that was as high as 82% in 2002 can be attributed to reduced agricultural as people are moving into the rural areas. According to PEWA, more than 50% of Indonesian population is based in urban areas. The increase in industrial processes is attributed to increased industrialization. The increase in domestic demand is due to population growth and urbanization. In addition to that as more people are employed the class of living rises which also leads to an increase in domestic demand. It is significant to note that the government of Indonesia is currently working on a plan that is focused on enhancing provision of water in all areas. According to Wira Study Team (2013, p. 6), the government of Indonesia has come up with a water development road map. The main problems that the government hopes to solve is the lack of investment in water sources and distribution systems, insufficient PDAM ( Indonesian regional water utility company) revenue, poor staff and management of existing water distribution systems, river and lakes pollution and poor accountability. The roadmap established has policies that are to improve the water situation of the country. Observation The government of Indonesia has big role to play to ensure that there is quality water supply and water security. From the research stated above, the country is well resourced in terms of water resources and supplies. The important role of the regulating bodies is to enhance water distribution systems to areas that do not have piped water. In addition to that it should set up enough treatment points for water from households and look for ways of cleaning up the polluted rivers and lakes. Industries in the country should also look for alternative and safe methods of waste disposal instead of draining them into rivers. AUSTRALIA Background Australia being an island is highly dependent on water from precipitation such as snow and rainfall. Most of these water sources are lakes, reservoirs, dams, rainwater tanks and rivers. One of the actions that must be undertaken by Australia is manmade water storage to ensure water supply stability. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012), there has been a constant rainfall of about 700m from 2011. The water stability is affected by climatic changes which may include droughts and floods. The water sources are surface water sources and underground sources but most of the water is provided by surface water. Water demand According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012), Australia has had sufficient water supply compared to countries such as China and neighboring Indonesia. It is reported that between 2004 and 2009 there was a drop in water that is consumed by the country by 28%. This drop was attributed to sufficient rainfall and reduced drought conditions. In 2010-2012 time periods, about 64,076 Giga Liters was used in the country. 86% was harvested by water users while the rest was harvested by water supply industries and water treatment companies then supplied to others. In 2010, the largest water demand was the agricultural sector which was about 52% of all water consumed in the year. The household sector took 14%, the manufacturing industry took 5% while the water supply, sewerage and drainage supplies consumed about 14%. This denotes that Australia is an agricultural based country compared to China which had most of its water consumed by industries. The largest water consumers within the agricultural sector were cattle farming, sheep farming and grain farming, the mi9ning industry also consumed 4% of the water with most of this used in mining of the metal ore. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013) Figure 3: Australia’s Water Demand 2008-2012 A similar report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013), reports that water consumption in the year 2011-2012 was about 74,925 Giga liters with 15% harvested by water providers and 85% harvested directly by water users. Industrial demand increased by 20% compared to levels it used in 2010-2011. Household demand remained slightly constant as it only increased by 1%. The agricultural demand was the highest at 59% followed by water supply and sewerage industries with 13% and households which consumed 11%. Mining and manufacturing were the least as they consumed 4% and 3% respectively. One of the most beneficial aspects in the water demand of Australia is the fact that water is used to provide hydropower for the continent. This means that the industry extracts a very large amount of water from the environment which is later discharged back into the environment after the power production. The industry hence accounts for the least amount of water consumption of about 2% in 2009-2010. In 2011-2012, a total of 63,727 Giga liters was discharged into the environment with the majority being discharged from hydro-electricity generating points (ABS, 2013). Observation Australia is self-sufficient because it is favored by its climate. The water quality available is also high because there are no incidences of shortages in drinking water. However, there is a worry of marine pollution which the Australian people can change by appropriate behavioral changes especially in disposal of used plastics and recycling of plastics. The government of Australia should also analyze this water stability frequently for planning purposes so as to avoid cases of water shortages in future. SOUTH AFRICA Background South Africa is one of the most developed African nations and it Is characterized by semi aridness and an average rainfall of about 450mm. the major challenges facing the water situation in the country is the uneven rainfall, low stream flow of the rivers and the fact that most of the urban and industrial locations are located far from the main water sources. It has four main rivers, dams, basin transfers and other water resource points in the country. At the moment, it is estimated that water demand will exceed fresh water supply by 2025. This is a worrying issue. In addition to these surface water supplies there are ground water supplies that provide 10% of all water. Water demand The water demands in South Africa are six; irrigation, household demand (urban demand and rural demand), miming demand, industrial demand, power generation and afforestation. The greatest demand is the irrigation use since the nation is highly dependent on agriculture. In 2000, irrigation demand was about 60% of the total water, followed by urban demand at 35% while the rest were at 15% in total. In 2000, the available water exceeded the demand. This situation has changed as rainfall has become less and irregular. There has also been an increase in industrial demand due to industrialization. The main factors that influence the water demand in South Africa are climate, economic structure, living standards, population growth and economic growth. According to Boccaletti (2010), household demand increases with an increase in population, an increase in the income of the population and government moves to improve the living conditions of its people. Agricultural demand is also increased by population growth due to the increased demand for food and feeds for animals. According to the predictions, the demands in 2030 will be led by industrial demand of about 70%, mining at 18 and 12% for power generation. One of the main challenges of water stability in the country is the high pollution levels. The rural communities in South Africa lack access to proper sanitation and they end up contaminating the rivers with fecal waste.it is reported that more than 15 million people do not have access to sanitation supplies. This situation is posing a danger to the quality of water that are the main water sources not only for South Africa but other nations that neighbor it. It is also a threat to sea life and wildlife due to consumption of contaminated water (GBIM, 2005). Observation The water demand in South Africa is currently stable but will soon gain a gap between water demand and water supply. The water quality is also being threatened due to the high levels of pollution due to poor sanitation facilities in the country. It is therefore paramount for the South African government to provide sanitation facilities so as to redeem the water quality. It should also invest in more underground water sources and bigger reservoirs due to the fact that rainfall is becoming uneven and less than the expected average. Analysis of Water Demand in Different Countries The first observation is that there are two main consumers of water for each country; industry or agriculture. This situation was different for the United States of America which had the highest power demand. China is a highly industrialized country hence most of its water demand is industrial demand. Australia, Indonesia and South Africa had the highest agricultural demands because they are agricultural based countries. It is also noted that most agricultural countries (South Africa and Indonesia) are slowly embracing industrialization which leads to higher industrial demands. The transition from agricultural dependence to industrial dependence is what has caused China and Indonesia to neglect and pollute its main water sources and these nations should be careful to ensure that a similar thing does not affect their water sources. Countries that have the motive to move from one sector to another should be careful in planning waste disposal mechanisms that will not affect their water supply points so as to cater for water demands while retaining the quality of water. A similarity of the five countries is that water demand is affected by similar factors. These factors are urbanization, population growth, greater individual economic power, economic growth and industrialization. The factors are the same but they affect countries differently. In Australia, the population growth has not increased the household demand as highly as population growth have increased household demand in South Africa and Indonesia. In the United States, the income growth of Americans has not affected water demand as highly as it has in China. A second similarity is that four of the five countries discussed are continually reducing their water supply potential due to pollution. Pollution levels in China are too high due to poor disposal of industrial waste. In South Africa pollution of water sources is attributed to poor sanitation for about 15 million people especially those in rural areas. In Indonesia, most of household wastes is directed to rivers due to poor sewerage and piped water infrastructure. Australia is only affected by minimum pollution of its seawater due to poor plastic disposal. It is the duty of all involved governments to recycle, conserve, treat and revive the quality of its water supply systems. Conclusion The analysis of the five countries has shown that there are four major water demands: industrial demand, agricultural demand, energy demand and household demands. In Indonesia, there is big gap between supply and demand while nations like Australia are able to supply way above the demand. China was initially well able to cater for all water needs but industrialization has led to a water problem that the Chinese government is handling. United States is also able to meet the current water demand although there are differences in some regions due to climatic changes. The situation can however be rectified by good logistics. List of References Australian Bureau of statistics, 2012, Year Book Australia, 2012,viewed 18 August 2014, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013, Water Account, Australia, 2011-12, viewed 17 August 2014, Bateman J, 2014,China’s looming crisis, viewed 17th August 2014 Boccaletti G, Stuchtey M & Olst MV, 2010, Confronting South Africa Water Challenge, viewed 16th August 2014 < http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/sustainability/confronting_south_africas_water_challenge> Governing Board Induction Manual, 2005, Overview of the SA Water Sector, Government of South Africa publication. Pahang, KB, 2013, Types of water demand, viewed on 18th August 2014, Panikkar, KA, 2009, Water profile of Indonesia, viewed 17th August 2014, United Nations Water, 2013, Facts and figures, viewed 18th August 2014,< http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/water-cooperation/facts-and-figures/en/> United States Geological Survey website, 2014, Water Use in the United States, viewed 17th August 2014, Water Environment Partnership in Asia, 2014. State of water environmental issues- Indonesia, viewed 17th August 2014 < http://www.wepdb.net/policies/state/indonesia/indonesia.htm> Wira Study Team, 2012 Indonesia water investment roadmap 2011-2014, viewed 17th August 2014 Wyler, G 2013, All Around The US, Risks of A Water Crisis Are Much Bigger Than People Realize. Viewed 17th August 2014, Read More

Mining demand is water that is used for mining and differs according to the mineral. Factors that Affect Water Demand Water demand is defined as the water that is required to fulfill all the needs of a community, a city or a country. The factors that affect water demand will vary according to the demographics of an area, its location, population and industrial or agricultural practices in the region. In most Agricultural countries such as Australia, the agricultural industry consumes most of the water that is allocated to industries.

According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, the agricultural industry consumed about 59% of Australia’s water in 2011 to 2012. In industrial regions, most water is used by the industrial sector. CHINA Background China is one nation that is approaching a phase of water crisis. Apart from the reduction in water supply, the water that is currently supplied is of poor quality that is already creating health problems for the Chinese people in some regions. According to Bateman (2014), an estimate of 400 cities is currently facing water shortage while 110 of these are experiencing water scarcity.

A shocking revelation is that about 55% of rivers that were in China in the 1990s have disappeared which may be one of the factors that is responsible for the upcoming water crisis. The main reason for this crisis is poor planning of water resources. The major reasons as to why the water supply is dwindling in China are urbanization, population growth, income growth and the economic structure of the country. Although there is adecrease in the population growth rate from 2.4% to 0.9%, there is population growth.

A higher population increases water demand. Urbanization and income growth has led to an increase in the domestic demand due to the shift of population. By 2025, urbanization and higher incomes will have caused a doubling of domestic demand. This can be rectified by putting measures that ensure domestic water is recycled (Upali, 2005). China’s economy has been on the rise. In 2013, it grew by 7.7%. This is a great thing but it is a threat to water security. The greatest contributor to this economy is industry which contributes about 80%.

In earlier years, china’s economy was dependent on Agriculture. The shift from agriculture to industry has led to an increase in industrial water demand. By 2025, industrial demand will supersede agricultural demand. These four factors have created a water security problem for China which might become a crisis if appropriate recycling and conservation measures are not enforced. The best way of handling the issue of water insecurity and poor water quality is water accounting. The Chinese government must understand the potential of all water supplies for planning purposes.

Most of the water sources are rivers and basins. A majority of these are in the Northern area. As stated by Upali et al (2005 p. 7), in 2005 China had a reliable and sufficient water resources. Northern basins provided about 14 percent of the total consumption while the southern basins supplied more than 60 percent. Currently, this supplies supply less water and some of them are polluted. Water Demand The water demand in China is increasing annually. According to Amarasinghe (2005), the total water demand in 2000 was approxianately 545km3.

The agricultural sector had the highest water demand of more than 70% while domestic demand was about 8% of Chinas total water demand in the year. In 2008, data from the ministry of water resources shows that agriculture accounted for 62% of demand, industry accounted for 32% and domestic and replenishment usage accounted for 14%. The increase in water consumption and consequently water demand is shown in the figure 1 below: Source: Statista 2014 Figure 1: National water consumption in China from 2001 to 2012 (billion cubic meters) In order to meet the increasing water demand China is currently working on ways of recycling water, decontaminating available water supplies and looking for alternative water sources.

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