When Rivers Run Dry

The Colorado River:

• Provides water for 30 million people

• Only 10% of its historic flow now reaches Mexico

• Virtually no water reaches the Sea of Cortez

The Nile River

• Longest river in the world

• Over 360 million people live in its catchment basin

• Most years, virtually no water reaches the Mediterranean

• A new mega-dam under construction in Ethiopia could

reduce downstream flow to Egypt and ignite regional conflict

The Danube River:

• Europe’s second longest river

• Over 80 million people live in its basin

• A 2011 drought lowered water levels so much

that boat traffic became impossible in many stretches

The Jordan River:

• The baptism site of Jesus Christ

• Over 7 million people live in its basin

(Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon)

• Only 5% of its original flow reaches the Dead Sea

The Amu Darya River:

• Largest river in Central Asia

• Over 43 million people live in its basin

• Runs dry over 100km away from its natural outlet

in the Aral Sea

The Indus River:

• Primary source of freshwater for nearly 200 million people
• Supplies 90% of the water for agriculture in Pakistan
• No longer reaches the Arabian Sea

The Yellow River

• Second longest river in China

• 189 million people live in the Yellow River basin

• Due to extensive diversion of water mostly for agriculture,

the Yellow River frequently runs dry before reaching the sea

The Murray River:

• Australia’s longest River

• 1/3 of the country’s food supply is grown in its basin

• In 2009 the river was left with less than 18% of its normal

water capacity due to several years of severe drought

Many of the world’s largest and most important rivers are running dry due to human overuse and mismanagement.

The Colorado River, USA

and Yellow River in China no longer consistently reach the Ocean.

In China, 28,000 of its 50,000 rivers have completely dried up in the last 20 years to fuel economic growth and feed its growing population through agriculture.

As the average global temperature rises, the rate of evaporation from rivers is also increasing.

Climate change also causes rainfall patterns to become more unpredictable, and prolongs droughts.

accounts for about

of all freshwater use.

70%

Every year, 80 million more, thirsty & hungry, people are added to the world. Global population is expected to rise to over 9 billion by 2050.

Hydropower Dams built on shared rivers are sometimes used to deny water to downstream neighbors.

Not only does climate change cause warming and melting of glaciers, it can also reduce the amount of rain and snow falling into a nearby river's watershed. A rapidly melting glacier can initially increase the amount of water flowing into a nearby river, but as some glaciers reduce in size or even disappear, eventually the amount of its melted water flowing into rivers will be dramatically reduced.

Over 2.5 billion people draw water from glacially fed rivers.

Agriculture wastes 60% or 1,500 trillion litres, of the 2,500 trillion litres of water it uses each year.

The main causes of wasteful and unsustainable water use on farms are:

• Leaky irrigation systems

• Wasteful field application methods

• Cultivation of thirsty crops not suited to the environment

The world’s population increases by approximately 200,000 people every day, equivalent to two of the world’s largest football stadiums at maximum capacity.

Water use for energy production accounts for about 15% of total water withdrawals, second only to agriculture. The total amount of water needed for energy production is expected to double by 2035.

The UN estimates that human water demand is expected to increase by 55% by 2050.

The average North American uses over 350 liters of water per person, per day. That is about twice the amount the average European uses.

Installing Drip Irrigation systems to replace flood or sprinkler systems can decrease water use on farms by as much as 55%.

MEAT and DAIRY production are responsible for about 1/3 of our freshwater demand. Reducing our daily intake of meat and dairy products can have a big impact on both water use and water pollution.

Livestock production is responsible for about 15% of our greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than the entire transportation sector! This includes both the loss of trees through deforestation to create pastures as well as methane emissions from cow belching and farting. Beef and dairy production is expected to double between the years 2000 and 2050.