Increasing water scarcity in Europe-Financial Times

Droughts and improper water policies lead to water shortages in Europe and this will worsen in the future. This was reported by the Financial Times.

In the European Union, the number and intensity of droughts were said to have increased dramatically from 1976 to 2006, with the area affected increasing by them by almost 20 percent. As of 2020, the World Resources Institute (WRI) estimated that freshwater demand would increase by 56 percent by 2030.

However, drought is not the only factor leading to water shortages. European politicians, accustomed to the cool winters and sufficient precipitation, care little about the water supply.

“Most of the water regimes in Europe are left over from the Times of abundance, now they need to be reformed,” said Ksavye Leflev, a representative of the organization for Economic Cooperation and development.

In addition, the problem is not limited to the dry land of Europe. According to the EurEau Environmental Protection Organization, European countries lose an average of 25 percent of their drinking water due to poor piping. In Rome, for example, this figure is 42 percent. Because in some quarters of the city, the water supply system has been maintained since the time of the Roman Empire.

At the same time, according to Leflev, the optimal level of losses is about 10 percent.