India could save water by switching to fruit & vegetables
India's population is forecast to rise to 1.6 billion by 2050, and to ensure there is enough available freshwater, water use will have to be cut by a third, according to a study published by The Lancet Planetary Health journal.
But population growth will also lead to an increase in demand for food, putting more pressure on water through farming.
By 2050, irrigation will account for 70 percent of total water use in India, up from the current 50 percent, unless farming methods change and diets shift towards food that needs less water to grow, the study said.
"In India, the proportion of freshwater available for agricultural production may already be unsustainably high," said James Milner, the study's lead author from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
"Modest dietary changes could help meet the challenge of developing a resilient food system in the country," he said in a statement.
source: reuters.com
