Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The majority of the world\u2019s freshwater is\nnot used in homes. It is used to grow crops, cool power plants, and\nsupport industry.<\/p>\n
CNBC Indonesia has compiled a list of countries based on annual per\ncapita freshwater withdrawal, citing data from FAO AQUASTAT and the UN,\nalong with population figures from the World Bank. The figures include\nwater used for agriculture, industry, and urban systems.<\/p>\n
Some of the results are surprising. Turkmenistan ranks first by a\nsignificant margin due to its large-scale irrigation systems associated\nwith cotton farming, while Montenegro ranks second due to its intensive\nwater use relative to its population size. The United States also makes\nit into the global top five.<\/p>\n
Turkmenistan ranks first, with 128,228 cubic feet of water withdrawn\nper person. The country\u2019s vast irrigation network was built to support\ncotton farming in one of the driest regions of Central Asia.<\/p>\n
The Soviet-era canals divert water from the Amu Darya River to arid\nagricultural lands. This same diversion has contributed to the dramatic\nshrinking of the Aral Sea.<\/p>\n
Agriculture accounts for about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals\nworldwide. This helps explain why many of the top-ranked countries are\nlocated in arid or semi-arid regions with large irrigation needs.\nAzerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Iran all\nrank among the top 15.<\/p>\n
In these countries, water demand is often shaped by crop production\nand river diversion systems. Per capita figures can increase sharply\nwhen large irrigation networks are spread across a relatively small\npopulation.<\/p>\n
The United States ranks fifth, while Canada and Estonia also make it\ninto the top 20. In these countries, high water withdrawals may reflect\nindustrial activity and power plant cooling.<\/p>\n
This type of water use differs from household consumption. Much of\nthe water withdrawn for cooling may eventually be returned to rivers or\nlakes, but it still puts pressure on local water systems.<\/p>\n
The per capita ranking can increase rapidly in small countries when\nlarge irrigation or industrial systems are divided among a small number\nof people.<\/p>\n
For example, Montenegro, with a population of 627,702, ranks second\nwith 125,155 cubic feet per person. New Zealand ranks third with 68,652\ncubic feet per person, followed by Guyana with 61,907 cubic feet per\nperson.<\/p>\n
(ras\/ras)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-countries-that-use-the-most-freshwater-does-indonesia-feature-1780651367", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }