Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

Table 8.1. 
Fresh water available for economic activities, 2005
Continents
Population, 
millions
 Available 
amount of 
freshwater in 
the form of 
ice, km
3
/per 
capita
Available 
freshwater 
in bodies of 
water, km
3
/per 
capita 
Available 
underground 
freshwater km
3
/
per capita
North America
332
271.08
81.33
12 951.81
South America
378
2.38
9.08
7936.51
Europe
732
24.89
3.45
2185.79
Africa
924
0.0002
34.39
5952.38
Asia
3968
15.37
7.72
1965.73
Australia and 
Oceania
34
5.29
6.50
3529.41
The World Health Organization in its recommendations indicates 
that for a contemporary healthy life style of humans it is necessary 
to have access to more than 1700 m
3
 of fresh water per capita per 
year.
Water consumption, as shown in the example of drinking water 
in  the  world  today,  differs  significantly  in  various  parts  of  the 
world. In economically developed countries the average per capita 
consumption reaches 500-800 litres per day (300 m
3
 per year), 

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164 
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
while in most developing countries it does not exceed 60-150 litres 
per  day  (20  m
3
  per  year).  There  are  also  significant  differences 
between water consumption in large cities (300-600 litres per capita 
per day) and small towns (100-150 litres per capita per day). In the 
developing countries of Asia, Africa and South America water supply 
in settlements reaches an average of 50-100 litres per capita per 
day, but in very large areas only 20-60 litres of water per capita are 
available per day. 
Water withdrawal by Industry
sector in selected Asian countries  
Milion of cubic metres per year
35 000
18 000
3 000
Russian
Federation
Indonesia
India
Japan
Ukraine
Iraq
Philip-
pines
Kazakhstan
Malaysia
Republic of 
Korea
Thailand
Chile
Uzbekistan
Pakistan
Singapore
Democratic People's 
Republic of Korea
Iran
Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
Lao PDR
Afghanistan
Mongolia
Lebanon
Israel
Myanmar
However, already in the 2005 more than 30 countries, whose 
inhabitants make up 8% of the world’s population, experienced 
chronic fresh water shortage and this process will intensify in 
the  future.  The  main  water  consumption  sectors  may  differ  quite 
considerably in the countries around the world, depending on the 
nature of their economy. There is a reason to believe that in the near 
future the water consumption will increase mostly for agricultural 
purposes.
Figure 8.3. 
Water 
withdrawal by industry 
in Asian countries 
(millions of m
3
/year) 
(Riccardo Pravettoni, 
GRID-Arendal)

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8. WATER POLLUTION
 165
The lack of available freshwater causes suffering to the wildlife 
in  all  its  different  varieties,  and  to  people.  Although  the  cases 
where people’s deaths are due to water shortage are very rare and 
they are a result of a particular accident, a natural disaster or an 
ill-considered action, the inadequate supply of clean water to the 
households causes spreading of a large number of diseases. Due 
to such characteristic diseases as diarrhoea, malaria and parasite-
caused diseases up to 500 million people suffer annually and more 
than 3 million people die, the majority of them being children and 
adolescents.