Analysis Of Population Growth And Water Footprint In Ecuador

Water is the most important resource for human life, shortage of freshwater resources has been one of the most serious environmental problems that he mankind have been facing, while the population grows in size so do water problems and them get more serious. As a Ecuadorian studying in China, I am concerned about my country Ecuador, particularly about its population and water resources situation. Ecuador is the most densely populated country in South America, despite having abundant water resources, but because of continued population growth in recent years, uneven regional distribution and the phenomenon of irrational use of water resources of the country, water pollution and waste have been turning also a menace for the development of the country. This paper focuses on the relationship between population growth and water resources in Ecuador. The results of this paper suggest that the high proportion of domestic, agricultural water consumption, unaware waste of water, cause serious environmental problems. At the same time, population growth has great potential to boost sustainable economic development, but also will generate further pressure on water consumption, especially when the uneven distribution of the population will increase regional water distribution with an unbalanced situation as a result. Finally, this paper shows the demographic dividend that promotes economic growth, on the other hand suggests that the management of water resources should be strengthen in order to improve water use efficiency, for a coordinated and sustainable development of the population and the economy.