A University of Saskatchewan professor says a growing First Nations population will put increased demand on the province’s water supply.
Suren Kulshreshtha, a professor in the Department of Agriculture, was presenting Friday morning at the National Food Security Forum 2013 at the university.
He says some areas of the province will see an almost 200 per cent increase in water demand by 2016 due to First Nations population growth.
“Largest demand we noticed was in the Lake Athabasca region and the Churchill was the second one,” he says. “And then there are all kinds of pockets of Indian reservations all over and they will be looking for better quality water and more reliable water.”
Kulshreshtha adds increased potash production and a movement toward greater use of irrigation techniques in farming will also drive up water demand.
Nevertheless, he says these two factors should lead to greater crop production, which would increase global food security.
The three-day forum wrapped up on Friday.