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Built water reservoir capacity per person is decreasing globally as reservoir expansion has not been able to keep pace with population growth, said the United Nations World Water Development Report released on March 22, 2021 observed as World Water Day.
Important points:
- While the world population is expected to reach nine billion by 2040, the projected reservoir volume seemed to be stabilising to be around 7,000 billion cubic metre.
- The stabilising trend was visible since the 2000s, even as the population was on the rise.
Reasons for low reservoir expansion:
- Decrease in storage capacity of existing reservoirs due to sedimentation
- Losses in artificial reservoir storage due to sedimentation increase depreciation rates on investment capital, and therefore, decreases returns on investment.
- They also increase the value of sediment abatement measures – implemented chiefly through nature-based solutions for improved catchment management.
Impact:
- Artificial lakes and reservoirs also suffer significant losses from increased evaporation as compared to the evaporation from the original river.
- These can be expected to be proportionately higher than the average in hotter arid regions, which is also where water tends to be scarcer.
Way ahead:
- Recognising comparative value of storage in, or the conjunctive use of natural systems, which is not only where most storage actually occurs but also where the main opportunities for sustainably increasing storage value can be found
- Recognising the value of reducing demand
- Increasing supply through measures like improved land management or water reuse
- Using decentralised solutions
SOURCE: DTE
