Water uses and misuses: a world view

The need for worldwide planning and management of water resources is recognized in order to balance the needs of private, agricultural, and industrial demands with available supplies. Growing populations, demanding increasing amounts of reliable water, are facing the hard issues of environmental and economic costs and competition among conflicting uses and abuses. Difficulty in establishing property rights has historically left water resources accessible, but with no one responsible for planning or protection. Because users of common property do not usually pay the full costs, there is a tendency for overuse. Government management, unable to evaluate the costs and benefits of alternative uses, tends to be slow in responding to changing conditions and is limited in its power to impose new use patterns. Rapid industrial growth in the United States has achieved an unprecedented level of water abuse, which can serve as an example to other nations as they confront the issues of maintaining quality and availability. The Colorado River Basin and development in the High Plains areas are reviewed as illustrations. (DCK)