Global freshwater resources for sustainable development

The notion of sustainable development exploits the concept of inter-generational and intra-generational equity. Availability of freshwater resources in adequate quantity and quality is an indispensable element of the life support system, essential to attain the sustainable development and the particular Millennium Development Goals. In many regions, increasing pressures, such as population growth with consequences for settlements and production of food and fiber, and human aspirations to better living standards and consumptive life style, are likely to render the road to sustainable development even more difficult. The water shortage problems are likely to grow in a number of areas, unveiling the need for curbing water demands and for improving efficiency of water use. Sustainable development should have a mechanism of resilience against floods and droughts and an appropriate preparedness system. In order to solve increasingly complex needs a holistic and integrated approach is needed, benefiting of synergies with other disciplines.