While we might think it quite normal to have adequate supplies of good quality water, many countries are finding it increasingly difficult to ensure affordable access. Rising populations, the expansion of farmland, the increasingly intensive farming methods used, and economic growth have, in global terms, led to the worsening pollution and contamination of water resources. The lack of any adequate access to a reliable supply of drinking water and the lack of sanitation and of sewage treatment facilities are in many places a major cause of poverty, malnutrition and disease. This is why the sustainable management of water resources, water supplies and sanitation are a priority area of German development policy.

The global trade in goods and services is also pushing up the consumption of water resources that are urgently needed elsewhere. German development policy is working, for instance, with water-guzzling industries like cut flower growers and the beverages industry, to identify and present their water footprint, and thus make them aware of their water consumption. The next step is then to reduce consumption and help avoid conflicts over the allocation of scarce water resources.