What is happening to Water?

Water is always on the move through the water cycle processes. Global warming has a significant effect on this cycle, altering the quantity, timing, distribution, and quality of available water.

example — Farmers at the Nilwala River Basin in Sri Lanka introduced new rice varieties and adopted innovative rice cultivation techniques.

The South Asia region has nearly 47% of the annual freshwater withdrawal, but is faced with higher demand for water from different sectors.

South Asia’s water demand is expected to double by 2030, where climate risks combined with water’s unsustainable use, will continue to impact lives and livelihoods and climate migration.

Its water systems are prone to various climate risks like rising temperatures and rainfall variability which can exacerbate droughts and flooding.

Under the high carbon emission scenario, the global temperature is estimated to increase by 3°C by mid-century along with challenges like the erratic monsoon, altered river flow, and droughts affecting the demand and supply of water.

What do the experts say?

Learn more about the key disaster and climate risks experienced by this sector by watching these special interviews and noting the information below.

South Asia is estimated to witness a GDP growth rate decline by 6% by 2050 due to water-related losses in different sectors like agriculture, health, income, and infrastructure.

According to the Global Water Partnership, integrated water resource management or IWRM is a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.

The World Bank explains that the cascading effects of more variable rainfall and higher temperatures will lead to overall lower water availability and crop productivity, impacting food prices and living costs, nutrition, and agriculture-related livelihoods. Saltwater intrusion from sea-level rise in low-lying agricultural plains is further expected to exacerbate these issues.

South Asian countries are committed to implementing integrated water resource management strategies through their NDCs.

Several other plans aimed at implementing the Integrated water resource management strategies have been adopted to protect water systems and reduce climate impacts to ensure water security.

Is this information sufficient?

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What do you need to know about Integrated Water Resources Management?

Bypass all the climate clutter and avoid tedious, lengthy web searches by taking note of the following short and important climate change figures for Integrated Water Resources Management: