se already living there. The rapid population growth in developing countries in the urban areas, coupled with the pressures of economic growth, will give rise to considerable demands for water services both to provide industry with a base resource and also for the survival of the population. Given the low level of income of the majority of the population, the challenge will be to provide and extend a basic level of service to the burgeoning population centres at an affordable cost to both government and citizens alike. In the developed world, given that overall population figures will be stable, the challenges are more likely to arise as a result of the consequences of the ageing population rather than the need for new water services. Indeed the rising expectations and relative wealth of the ageing populations may well result in calls for higher levels and different forms of service from the existing infrastructure. Environment Climate change A recent report expected that "climate change will have a major impact on water resources in Europe that in turn may require changes in the way that Europeans manage and protect these resources". Drought risks will increase in Central and Southern Europe (Eisenreich, 2005). Globally, water vapour and precipitation are expected to increase, particularly at the higher latitudes all year round. In tropical zones it will increase, but not in subtropical regions. However, there will be an increase in potential evaporation that will generally decrease soil moisture. Nonetheless there will be bigger demands on groundwater and the greatest impact will be on agricultural practices. The extent of climate change and its impacts on the human and natural world will depend on the mitigation measures adopted and the adaptations made. However, given the likely increase in demand for energy and that increase continuing to be met from conventional sources, the consensus is that climate change is likely to become increasingly important. Although varying globally, it is expected that - in addit