Financial Tribune - The world's need for water will be 20% over and above current consumption levels by 2050, said the Energy Minister.

Speaking in Tehran at the weekend, Reza Ardakanian said, �Given the global population growth, demand for food will increase by 50% compared to the consumption now. Producing such higher volumes of food will demand 20% more water and 10% more land.

This is while the Earth's surface will not change and water resources remain limited,� the IRIB News Agency quoted him as saying.

Referring to the chronic water crisis as a global challenge, which is not limited to the arid and semi-arid countries, the minister said both the developing and developed world is severely affected (to varying degrees) by the worsening water crisis.