Xinhua

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday warned that by 2030, half the people on Earth would be living under "water stress," a measure defined as less than 1,700 cubic meters of water available per person per year, unless action was taken.

Alister Doyle

Sep 10 , 2012

Julie Mollins

Sep 5 , 2012

An Andean woman drinks water from the Cortada lagoon in the Andean region of Cajamarca November 24, 2011. REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil

SOPHIA LI

August 13, 2012

Groundwater depletion is particularly severe in places including California’s Central Valley, the Upper Ganges in India and Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, researchers report.

Astrid Zweynert

July 23 (AlertNet) - Disputes over water are common around the world, exacerbated by climate change, growing populations, rapid urbanisation, increased irrigation and a rising demand for alternative energy sources such as hydroelectricity.

A newly discovered water source in Namibia could have a major impact on development in the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa.

Estimates suggest the aquifer could supply the north of the country for 400 years at current rates of consumption.

Chris Wickham

LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The world is depleting underground water reserves faster than they can be replenished due to over-exploitation, according to scientists in Canada and the Netherlands.

This picture gives the reader some basic information about two organizations working to ensure global environmental sustainability.

This graph charts global progress in providing access to drinking water and access to sanitation. The Millennium Development Goal numbers are plotted at the end of the graph for comparison of actual progress versus the UN's plan.

Mark Tran

Africa heads for 'hydrological suicide' as land deals hand water resources to foreign firms, threatening environmental disaster