Biofuels could dry up water reserves in China and India

India and China's plans to increase biofuel production will deplete their water reserves and seriously impact their ability to meet food demands, a study conducted by the International Water Management Institute says.

China and India, which are expected to account for nearly 70% of global oil demand between now and 2030, are using cheaper biofuels derived from crops to help power their economies, the Institute comments.

'To grow biofuel crops you need to use more water and land,' Charlotte de Fraiture, a scientist at the institute and lead author of the biofuels study, says.

As global crude oil prices excel $80 (€56) a barrel, countries are increasingly relying on biofuels, which produce energy by using organic waste, wood, dung and residues from crops like sugarcane and grains.

China aims to increase biofuel production four-fold from a 2002 level of 3.6 billion litres of bioethanol to around 15 billion litres by 2020, or 9% of the country's projected petrol demand.

To meet their biofuel targets India needs to produce 16% more sugarcane and China 26% extra maize.

'Crop production for biofuels in China and India would likely jeopardise sustainable water use and affect irrigated production of food crops, including cereals and vegetables, which would then need to be imported in larger quantities,' de Fraiture says.

In both countries, biofuels will add pressure on water resources that already are heavily exploited or over-exploited. The report suggests authorities develop dry land rain-fed crops such as sweet sorghum for ethanol and species such as jatropha and pongamia for biodiesel. Such a strategy could help reduce competition for scarce water between the food, feed and fuel uses of crops like maize and sugarcane grown on irrigated land.