ion to the above - it will also contribute to a rise in global temperatures, and thus to major sea level rises and other impacts on the global weather system. As a result climates will become increasingly more erratic, with more droughts and floods affecting the more vulnerable. Food supplies may need to be adapted to use less irrigation water and land use may need to alter where low-lying lands, such as much of Bangladesh, become uninhabitable. As yet, however, the effects on water systems are very uncertain (Bolwidt, 2005; Eisenreich, 2005). INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 5. THE IMPACTS OF CHANGE ON THE LONG-TERM FUTURE DEMAND FOR WATER SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE Pollution The rapid urbanisation in the developing world, coupled with a substantial rise in economic activity and industrialisation, contributes to increasing levels of pollution in the developing world, and inevitably will continue to do SO. Measures to address pollution in these areas and their effectiveness will generally lag behind in terms of priority for these governments despite agreements to international control protocols. Increases in population and economic activity will place further demands on natural resources and their exploitation, also giving rise to pollution. As agriculture becomes more commercialised it is likely that there will be an increase in the use of chemical and biological products to both increase production and prevent (short-term) damage, also contributing to pollution. These trends pose very serious threats to the integrity of water resources, although they will be preferable for human health and welfare. By contrast, growing public concerns, tighter regulations and the implementation of pollution abatement measures in the developed and some parts of the developing world could bring about substantial improvements in the quality of the environment and decreasing absolute levels of pollution. However, there will be an increasing number and complexity of p