Seite - 22 - in options, Band winter 2020

It is no surprise that as populations and industrialization increase, so does water demand. However, over the last century, water use has been increasing at a staggering rate—more than twice the rate of the global population. Further compounding this problem is the lack of spatially detailed datasets, limiting proper understanding of the situation. However, according to a new study, there is hope that technology and policy intervention can help mitigate increased usage and secure water access in China. In a recent study, Acting Water Program Director Yoshihide Wada and his coauthors provide a detailed, historical picture of water use in China through socioeconomic development and the impact of technology and policy. The study for instance found that although China’s water use doubled between 1965 and 2013, there was a significant slowdown in growth rates after 1975. The authors attribute this to more efficient irrigation methods and other technological adoptions. “Modeling water use is very complex and we need much more regional data and coordination to improve our understanding of how people use water,” explains Wada. “The modeling community should work together to achieve this, as it is crucial to identifying key drivers and mechanisms behind changing water use patterns. More reliable future projections will improve future policies that address the challenge of decoupling water use from socioeconomic development in China and other water-stressed countries.” Both the frequency and magnitude of floods are expected to increase in coming decades. It is therefore important to understand the full impact floods can have on the global population. Beyond physical and economic damage, floods have adverse impacts on human health. For example, floods lead to a greater incidence of infectious diseases and reduced agricultural production, both of which can be especially dangerous to children. Studies show that floods directly lead to undernutrition and stunted growth. A study by Deputy World Population Program Director Raya Muttarak and colleagues found that flood-induced undernutrition is particularly serious for children in India. Generally, boys are more at risk for stunting than girls. The study however shows that the probability for stunting is equal for boys and girls—likely due to the fact that parents in India choose to feed boys more than girls during hard times. The study also found that a mother’s education is key to protecting against childhood undernutrition due to improved health knowledge, increased female empowerment, and higher health care use. “We found that not only do extreme weather events such as floods lead to childhood undernutrition, but that the risk of becoming stunted is not distributed evenly across population subgroups,” explains Muttarak. “The finding that infants and girls from rural households with low levels of maternal education are susceptible to undernutrition suggest the need for policy interventions targeting particularly vulnerable populations.” Determining the relationship between rainfall and child stunting in India A S I A Using technology to solve the challenges of increased water demand in China Regional impacts Raya Muttarak: muttarak@iiasa.ac.at Yoshihide Wada: wada@iiasa.ac.at Further info: pure.iiasa.ac.at/16589 Further info: pure.iiasa.ac.at/16390 By Jeremy Summers 22 Options www.iiasa.ac.atWinter 2020