International scientists have warned Asian countries that they face
chronic food shortages and likely social unrest if they don't improve water management, the BBC reports on its Web site Tuesday.
The water
experts, meeting at a U.N.-sponsored conference in Sweden, say
countries in south and east Asia must spend billions of dollars to
improve antiquated crop irrigation to cope with rapid population
increases.
That estimate doesn't yet take into account the possible impact of global warming on water supplies, they said.
They suggest that Asian countries will need to import more
than a quarter of their rice and other staples to feed their
populations.
"Asia's food and feed demand is expected to double by 2050," Colin Chartres, director general of the International Water Management Institute, is quoted as saying.