Water is either directly or indirectly needed for the production of many goods and services. Agriculture is the largest consumer of water, using approximately two-thirds of the global fresh-water supply.  Currently, about 15% of all cultivated lands are irrigated and around 70% of extracted water is consumed in this process. Similarly, thermal and atomic power stations require large amounts of cooling water. In 2000, both industries were responsible for 10% of water consumption, which is not available for further use, and 20% of water withdrawal, which can be returned to water bodies to be reused. In the future, it is predicted that both water consumption and withdrawal will increase (see Tables 1 and 2).

Table 2: World Water Withdrawal

Source: UNESCO

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