Last week the world celebrated our most precious resource – water – culminating on World Water Day on March 22^nd. This year the focus was on the connection between water and energy, and how saving one, in effect saves the other.

“Water and energy are among the world's most pre-eminent challenges. This year's focus of World Water Day brings these issues to the attention of the world,” said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization and Chair of UN-Water, which coordinates World Water Day and freshwater-related efforts across all United Nations projects and systems.

UN-water foresees that over the next two decades the ever increasing global population's food, water and energy requirements will increase by at least 35%, 40% and 50% respectively. Currently nearly 800 million people around the world don't have access to safe drinking water, 2½ billion people lack adequate sanitation, and 1.3 billion do not have access to electricity. 

“These issues need urgent attention - both now and in the post-2015 development discussions. The situation is unacceptable. It is often the same people who lack access to water and sanitation who also lack access to energy, “ said Mr. Jarraud.

2014 World Water Development Report

The 2014 World Water Development Report (WWDR) - a report published and coordinated by the World Water Assessment Program under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – was released on March 22^nd to celebrate World Water Day. The report provides a status report on the current state of the world's freshwater resources, and stresses the need for countries to work together to protect these resources by putting forward policies and regulatory measures that address both water and energy issues through an integrated approach.

Water-Energy Link

The 2014 WWDR emphasizes how water and energy are inextricably intertwined and that issues related to one also relate to the other – this interdependency is often referred to as the 'water-energy nexus'. For instance: drought reduces the amount of energy that can be produced; while people who do not have access to electrical power to run irrigation pumps face limitations in terms of irrigating their crops, which hampers their ability to produce food.

Water is essential to produce or extract energy in all its forms, as well as to transport and use it, and all these activities impact our water resources to some degree. The water report points out that approximately 75% of all water withdrawn for industrial purposes is used to produce energy. Water tariffs also reflect the interdependence of water and energy: when water subsidies are introduced making water available to industries at below cost, the most water-hungry consumers – energy producers – have no incentive to use it sparingly and are more likely to waste it. Similarly, when energy is subsidized it reduces the incentive to conserve it, which in turn drives up the rate of water consumption. The report highlights the need for governments to take action to ensure that prices of both water and energy are a true reflection of the cost and environmental impacts associated with their use.

Take Home Messages for World Water Day 2014

• We need energy to access water and we need water to access energy
• Demand for these resources are increasing, yet there is limited supply
• When we save energy we save water: when we save water we save energy
• The 'bottom billion' require access to water, sanitation, and electricity, as a matter of urgency
• It is imperative that we improve both energy and water efficiency across all sectors, together with implementing well coordinated integrated policies that take the bigger picture into account