Water Resources and Sustainable Development: Factors and Constraints for Improving Human Well-being in Water-stressed Regions

Abstract

Water is a crucial natural resource for the sustainable development of world societies. The growing demand of water resources (caused by population and economic growth) and climatic conditions are driving to an increasing water scarcity as well as to the degradation of their quality, which has an acute relevance especially in water stressed regions. In arid and semi-arid regions, the management of surface and groundwater resources creates significant challenges for the development of local populations.