Seventeen countries that are home to nearly a quarter of the world's population face "extremely high" levels of water stress, according to a report released Tuesday.

The World Resources Institute's (WRI) "Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas" ranked water stress using 13 hydrological risk indicators.

Read more: West Africa: Using data to prevent drought

In the 17 worst impacted countries, "irrigated agriculture, industries and municipalities withdraw more than 80% of their available supply on average every year," WRI said.

"Such a narrow gap between supply and demand leaves countries vulnerable to fluctuations like droughts or increased water withdrawals," the report said, warning that communities are facing "Day Zeros" and other crises.

A look at some of the world's scarcest resources Water – The source of life In some parts of the world access to freshwater is taken for granted, but it's actually a luxury. Freshwater only makes up 2.5% of the world's total volume, and more than half of that is ice. Agriculture uses 70% of what's actually usable. By 2050, two-thirds of the world's population is expected to suffer from water scarcity, which will affect all aspects of people's lives.

A look at some of the world's scarcest resources Land – The new gold Competition for land is growing across the globe. As the world's population continues to grow, the available land doesn't and is increasingly degrading. Extreme weather events due to climate change add to the equation. Countries with a large population or scarce land areas for agriculture, such as China and Saudi Arabia, are already seeking land in Africa. Land is seen as the new gold.

A look at some of the world's scarcest resources Fossil fuels – Speak of the devil And speaking of oil, fossil fuels should surely have a place at the table of the world's scarce resources if anything because they can't be replenished. Continuing today's rate of consumption will eventually lead to their depletion. This could prove a huge challenge for countries, like Iraq and Libya, which have traditionally had large oil and natural gas reserves.

A look at some of the world's scarcest resources Coal – Time to break up The same goes for coal. Even if countries like Germany are reluctant to move away from this polluting source of energy, the reserves are emptying. In Poland, lignite (or brown coal) reserves from operating mines are expected to run out by 2030. Hard coal might last a little longer, but not much, experts say. Therefore, the country might be forced to break up with coal soon – even if it hurts.

A look at some of the world's scarcest resources Sand everywhere and nowhere If we think of a desert, sand seems infinite, but its natural production is actually a rather slow process. Sand is a renewable resource, but it's being used at such a fast rate for things like construction that nature doesn't have time to reproduce it. In developing regions like East Africa, where the population is expected to double by roughly 2050, sand could become a scarce resource.

A look at some of the world's scarcest resources Running out of species Careless behavior with regard to all living beings on this planet is pushing several species to the brink of extinction. Animals are widely seen as resource for humans, and as such pangolins, rhinos, vaquitas or seahorses could be included in the list of scarce natural resources. If they continue to be exploited resources unsustainably, human life will be at risk.

A look at some of the world's scarcest resources The scarcest resource of all? Time It seems like everything is falling apart and as if nothing more can be done to prevent a bleak future. Yet, one thing that's still available is time, a scarce but extremely valuable resource. Some say the climate emergency could still be reversed if action is taken over the next 12 years. And for once, we are allowed to exploit a resource to the fullest. There is no time to lose. Author: Irene Banos Ruiz



Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, UAE, San Marino, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman and Botswana made up the top 17.

Twelve of the 17 worst countries are in the Middle East and North Africa, where pressure on already scarce water resources has been compounded by rapidly growing demand and climate change.

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India ranked 13 in overall water stress, but has a population three times larger than the other 17 extremely highly stressed countries combined. WRI said that in addition to rivers, lakes and streams being overused, groundwater resources are overdrawn to provide water for irrigation.

Another 27 countries ranked for "high baseline water stress."

The report highlighted that even in countries with low levels of water stress there are pockets of high stress. While South Africa and the United States ranked 48 and 71 on WRI's list, respectively, Western Cape Province and New Mexico have extremely high water stress levels.

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