RECIFE, Brazil, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- River basins globally have enough water to double food production sustainably if efficiently used, an international water resources meeting in Brazil was told.

Delegates at the World Water Congress in Recife heard that while water-related conflicts and shortages abound in Africa, Asia and Latin America, there is sufficient water to sustain food, energy, industrial and environmental needs during the 21st century.


The report by agricultural researchers published in the journal Water International said the "sleeping giant" of water challenges is not scarcity but the inefficient use and inequitable distribution of massive amounts of water that flow through key river basins such as the Nile, Ganges, Andes, Yellow, Niger and Volta.

"Water scarcity is not affecting our ability to grow enough food today," Alain Vidal, director of the Challenge Program on Water and Food, said. "Yes, there is scarcity in certain areas, but our findings show that the problem overall is a failure to make efficient and fair use of the water available in these river basins. This is ultimately a political challenge, not a resource concern."

The river basins studied cover 5.2 million square miles and are home to an estimated 1.5 billion people, 470 million of whom are among the world's poorest, researchers said.