Water: Overview
Why irrigation drinks far more than cities and factories combined
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigated agriculture (crops, pasture and livestock) | 71% | about 2,740 km³ a yearbasis | Irrigation turns dry-season or semi-arid land into reliable, high-yield farmland. About 23% of the world's cultivated land was equipped for irrigation in 2022, and 46% in Southern Asia (FAO). Farmers usually pay little or nothing for the water itself, and in India often little for the electricity used to pump it, so volumes are large. FAO AQUASTAT Water Data Snapshot 2025 | Rainfed farming and drought-tolerant crops Drip and sprinkler irrigation (sprinkler 13% and localised 5% of full-control irrigated area, FAO 2022) Treated wastewater for irrigation |
| Industry, including cooling for thermal power stations | 15% | about 580 km³ a yearbasis | Water is the cheapest medium for cooling, washing, dissolving and carrying heat. Thermal power plants withdraw large volumes for once-through or evaporative cooling, and refineries, steel, chemicals, paper and semiconductors all need process water. Industry's share is highest in rich countries: 47% in the United States and 54% in Germany (FAO AQUASTAT, 2022). FAO AQUASTAT Water Data Snapshot 2025 (world and country shares, 2022) | Dry (air) cooling at power plants, at some efficiency cost On-site recycling and zero-liquid-discharge systems Seawater cooling at coastal plants |
| Municipal and services: drinking water, sanitation, offices and public uses | 13% | about 500 km³ a yearbasis | Drinking water and sanitation have no substitute and the highest value per cubic metre, so cities pay for treatment, long pipelines and desalination that farms cannot afford. Utilities are local monopolies with regulated tariffs. India's Jal Jeevan Mission raised rural tap connections from 3.23 crore households (16.7%) at its launch in August 2019 to 15 crore (77.65%) by July 2024, and to more than 15.9 crore by August 2026 (Deccan Herald; Chronicle India). FAO AQUASTAT 2025; Deccan Herald (23 Jul 2024); Chronicle India (Oct 2026) | Cutting leakage and non-revenue water Potable and non-potable reuse of treated wastewater Desalination for coastal cities Rainwater harvesting |
| India: groundwater pumping for irrigation | 87% | 215 bcm a year (2025)basis | Tube wells give farmers water on demand, unlike canal rotations, and cheap or free farm power keeps pumping costs low. That made groundwater the backbone of the Green Revolution in Punjab and Haryana, and the reason those states now extract well above the national stage of 60.6%. CGWB 2025 via Indian Masterminds (Aug 2026) | Canal and tank irrigation Crop diversification away from paddy and sugarcane Micro-irrigation and metered or rationed farm power |
| Desalinated water for Gulf and North African cities | n/a | about 12 billion m³ a year in the Middle East and North Africabasis | Where renewable water is close to zero, seawater is the only large source left. MENA hosts over 40% of global desalination capacity, the Gulf states 33%. Morocco plans to raise desalination's share of drinking water from 25% in 2025 to 60% by 2030 (IEA). IEA, 'Wired for water' commentary | Fossil groundwater (non-renewable) Wastewater reuse Imported virtual water in food |
From mine to user
- 1. Resource Rain, snowmelt and glaciers feed rivers, lakes and aquifers; seawater is the backstop. India's average annual water resources are 1,999 bcm (CWC reassessment 2019; 2,116 bcm in the 2024 assessment), and per capita availability was 1,486 m³ in 2021 (CWC).
- 2. Abstraction Dams and barrages divert surface water; tube wells pump groundwater; desalination plants treat seawater. India extracted 247 bcm of groundwater in 2025 (CGWB).
- 3. Conveyance Canals, pipelines and inter-basin transfers carry raw water. China's South-North middle route runs 1,232 km and has moved over 80 billion m³ in 12 years (CGTN 2026).
- 4. Treatment Coagulation, filtration and disinfection bring water to drinking standard; conventional treatment uses about 0.2 kWh/m³, seawater RO about 4 kWh/m³ (IFI TWG 2020).
- 5. Distribution Pumped networks, storage tanks and, in many Indian cities, tankers deliver water. Pumped distribution uses about 0.14 kWh/m³ (IFI TWG 2020).
- 6. Use Irrigation (71% of world withdrawals), industry (15%) and municipal uses (13%) in 2022 (FAO).
- 7. Wastewater and return Sewage is collected and treated, reused or returned to rivers. Wastewater alone may cause up to 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (ADB 2023).
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
California water (NQH2O index) (World Bank monthly) 539 $/acre-foot Month 2026-10 1 week no daily price 6 months +153.0% World production 3,855 km³, 2022 Largest producer India 16.79% of worldThree things to know
- India withdraws more fresh water than any other country: 647.5 km³ in 2022, about 17% of the world total (FAO).
- California's water index peaked at $1,282 per acre-foot in September 2022, then fell 88% to $156 by July 2023 (Nasdaq via FRED).
- Seawater reverse osmosis needs about 4 kWh per m³, some 20 times the 0.2 kWh of conventional treatment (IFI TWG 2020).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
No recent articles from the listed publishers were found in the snapshot.