The independent body said suppliers should reduce leaks, while customers could use water more efficiently.

BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Water watchdog's supply concerns

Even where irrigation is feasible, plants that use water more efficiently are needed.

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People need to use water more efficiently if shortages are to be avoided in the future, the managing director of Jersey Water has said.

BBC: Jersey water boss wants water behaviour change

British author Philip Ball says yes, but only because he believes people are ingenious enough to figure out how to use fresh water more efficiently in the face of an alarming surge in demand (which tripled between 1950 and 1990).

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These sensors will indicate how efficiently different ecosystems use nutrients and water, how vegetation responds to the climate, and how carbon dioxide moves between living things and the atmosphere.

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But Mr Ma believes most people could afford water at a realistic price, and they would use it more efficiently.

ECONOMIST: China