Freshwater (2,8 %) is unequally distributed between the different regions of the world.

There is estimated to be 1,400 million km3 of water on the entire planet (approx. 400 times the volume of the Mediterranean).

The amount of water has not increased since it appeared on Earth around 3.4 thousand million years ago.

However, most of the water on Earth is saltwater, and freshwater is unequally distributed between the different regions of the world.

Economic development and the growth in the world's population are two factors for the rapid increase in the world's consumption of water.

This accelerated growth is due to two main phenomena :

• agriculture abstracts a large quantity of freshwater, and the water abstracted for irrigation is to a large extent unused (only a small part irrigates the earth and is absorbed by the crops, the rest evaporates) ;
• urbanization and economic development automatically lead to an increase in the need for water.

Daily water consumption per capita, excluding agricultural requirements, has risen to 300 liters in the United States, 100 to 200 liters in Europe, and only some tens of liters in some countries in the Third World.

The sustainable management of water resources means that abstraction should be less than the proportion of renewable resources. However, it is currently estimated that 10% of the water abstracted on the planet comes from the overexploitation of underground resources.

Conserving water directly reduces the pressure on resources.

There are different ways of conserving water :

During the processes :

By optimizing the processes so that they are more water efficient (for example, by recycling wash water from filters).

In the networks :

30 to 50 % of the water supply is lost in networks of numerous towns and cities. In developing countries, these leaks reduce the volume of water available to the consumer, in particular those communities on low-incomes who live in the outlying districts.

Veolia Water has developed international expertise in reducing this leakage and in developing services tailored to the local authorities who outsource the management of their assets.

Consumers :

• The essential counterpart to these initiatives is to develop a sense of responsibility among consumers by extending the metering program. At the same time, communication initiatives targeting consumers encourage greater awareness and encourage consumers to use water more efficiently.

Likewise, Veolia Water has implemented pricing systems which encourage consumers to use water more efficiently thereby reducing waste. Furthermore, the Group provides pricing systems tailored to irrigation systems that encourage farmers to conserve water.