The Stream, March 19: Population Could Push Global Water Demand Past Supply

The Global Rundown

Population growth may cause global water demand to surpass supply if per capita consumption does not decrease enough, according to a new study. Meanwhile, Taiwan is further restricting water supplies as its record drought shows no signs of ending. The State of California is being reminded of its obligation to the Salton Sea, and the Vietnamese province of Dong Nai may have gone too far in giving a developer permission to fill the country’s largest river. A copper mine in northern Chile has been fined for violating environmental regulations.

By The Numbers

$US 11.9 million – Fine incurred by the Japanese-owned Caserones copper mine in Chile for failure to follow environmental rules. The mine did not take appropriate steps to prevent groundwater contamination, among other infractions. Reuters

7 hours – Length of testimony presented to California water officials on Wednesday regarding the issue of the Salton Sea. The State Water Resources Control Board held a hearing at the request of the Imperial Irrigation District. The irrigation district would like the state to fulfill it’s 2003 promise to deal with the issue of the shrinking, toxic, dusty and smelly Salton. LA Times

Science, Studies, And Reports

A new study says that population growth could cause global water demand to overtake supply if consumption is not reduced. Global per capita water consumption has been declining since 1980, but if current population growth trends hold, consumption will have to be even more dramatically reduced to balance things out, according to researchers. Reuters

On The Radar

The government of Taiwan is announcing increased restrictions on water as its record drought continues. Starting March 23, cuts of up to 10 percent will be imposed on industrial water users in eight cities and counties. Water for public users will be shut off two days a week in two northern cities starting April 1. Bloomberg Business

A developer in Vietnam’s Dong Nai province is filling 77,200 square meters of the Dong Nai River, Vietnam’s largest, with rock and sand in order to build shops, housing, a hotel and office space. The provincial government did not consult or inform the national government regarding the development, and eyebrows have been raised, to say the least. Thanh Nien News