The Demand for Water: Four Interpretations

The management of water resources draws on a wide range of disciplines and one of the most frequent terms used among these disciplines is the “demand” for water. In fact, this single word can have at least four quite distinct meanings: the use of water, the consumption of water, the need for water, or the economic demand for water. Each of these four separate terms is carefully defined in the paper in the context of the hydrosocial balance of a region. The paper recommends precisely defining these four terms (use, consumption, need, economic demand) is necessary to avoid the ambiguities and confusion in water resources management that can arise from the catch-all term “demand.” It is also indicated that to regard supply-side activities to reduce leakage and evaporation as a form of demand management is mistaken.