In the 2012 United Nations report on freshwater resources, the World Water Development Report has said about four billion people lack access to safe water. It said the figure could get worse as the global population is likely to reach 9.1 billion in 2050, and 68 per cent of these 9 billion people would live in cities.
The report said in many countries water availability for agriculture was already limited, and it was set to worsen, as agriculture needs to increase production to cater for 9 billion people. It said these issues, amongst others, would substantially increase water and energy consumption, leading to increased competition for water resources.
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