Water and sustainability: A reappraisal

Water is essential for life of plants, animals, humans, and human civilization. The rapidly growing human population is causing energy crisis, ozone depletion, global warming, and scarcity of cropland and this is also leading to water scarcity, water pollution, and water-related land fertility degradation. Incoming rainwater generates two types of water resources, green water and blue water. Four actions, population stabilization, seriously intended pollution abatement, water-based balancing of green and blue water requirements for social and environmental purposes, and preparedness for mega-scale food trade expansion from water-rich to water-short countries-will form the building blocks to a responsible approach to sustainability.