Chapter 12
EARTH OBSERVATION DEMANDS FOR
IMPROVED WATER RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
W. G. M. Bastiaanssen and C. J. Perry
International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1.
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness that water will be
the critical natural resource issue within, and between, many countries in the
next century (e.g., Serageldin, 1995; Biswas, 1995; Postel et al., 1996;
Gleick, 1997). Frederiksen (1996) mentions that a world population growth
of 1 billion in the next decade and 2 billion in the next two decades is
forecasted and that this growth will place immense demands on the water
resources of developing countries. In many developing countries, the
scarcity of water is becoming a significant constraint to food production, and
shortage of water and food may threaten socio-economic stability. Food
projections for 2040 reveal a need for a two to three-fold increase in food
productivity, as compared to 1990 (e.g., Penning de Vries et al., 1995). By
2025, as many as fifty-two countries inhabited by some 3 billion people will
be plagued by water stress or chronic water scarcity. Falkenmark (1989)
computed a water scarcity index for African countries to create awareness
among African leaders to reserve water for recurrent drought years. Seckler
et al. (1998) have evaluated the available water resources in relation to
population development, industrial demands and irrigated areas country wise
by means of a water scarcity index to indicate the countries being most
vulnerable to proper water resources management.
105
M.M. Verstraete et al. (eds.), Observing Land from Space: Science, Customers and Technology, 105–117.
© 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
EARTH OBSERVATION DEMANDS FOR
IMPROVED WATER RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
W. G. M. Bastiaanssen and C. J. Perry
International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1.
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness that water will be
the critical natural resource issue within, and between, many countries in the
next century (e.g., Serageldin, 1995; Biswas, 1995; Postel et al., 1996;
Gleick, 1997). Frederiksen (1996) mentions that a world population growth
of 1 billion in the next decade and 2 billion in the next two decades is
forecasted and that this growth will place immense demands on the water
resources of developing countries. In many developing countries, the
scarcity of water is becoming a significant constraint to food production, and
shortage of water and food may threaten socio-economic stability. Food
projections for 2040 reveal a need for a two to three-fold increase in food
productivity, as compared to 1990 (e.g., Penning de Vries et al., 1995). By
2025, as many as fifty-two countries inhabited by some 3 billion people will
be plagued by water stress or chronic water scarcity. Falkenmark (1989)
computed a water scarcity index for African countries to create awareness
among African leaders to reserve water for recurrent drought years. Seckler
et al. (1998) have evaluated the available water resources in relation to
population development, industrial demands and irrigated areas country wise
by means of a water scarcity index to indicate the countries being most
vulnerable to proper water resources management.
105
M.M. Verstraete et al. (eds.), Observing Land from Space: Science, Customers and Technology, 105–117.
© 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.