The UN's World Water Development report, Water in a Changing World, was released at the World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. The report says by 2030, nearly half of the world's population will be living in areas of high water stress.

Every year the world's population grows by another 80 million. Industrialization, rising living standards, and changing diets that include more water intensive livestock production, place pressure on water resources. Shortages are beginning to constrain economic growth and conflicts over water availability are expected to increase.

The report says, "In many places, climate-related water events have become more frequent and extreme." Rising temperatures are melting snow packs and glaciers, a particular concern for more than 15 percent of the world's population that depend on melt waters.