Triple Threat: Water, Energy and Food Insecurity

This briefing from the World Resources Institute argues for a holistic 'water-energy-food nexus' approach to resource management, highlighting how climate change, population growth, and economic development create interconnected crises. Using examples from India, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, and Pakistan, the author demonstrates how water scarcity triggers failures in energy production and food security, and proposes a management framework based on knowledge, governance, and cooperation.

• The 'water-energy-food nexus' describes the interconnected nature of these resources, where a failure in one can trigger a cascade of crises. In India, a severe drought starting in 2016 caused water levels in 91 reservoirs to hit a decade low, which halted thermal power plants due to lack of cooling water and devastated agriculture.
• Climate change, population growth, and urbanization are increasing pressure on limited resources. By 2040, the number of countries facing extremely high water stress is predicted to increase from 17 to 33. Additionally, one-third of current thermal energy production is located in areas under high water stress, making it vulnerable to shortages.
• In Zimbabwe, drought has led to a critical failure across the nexus: the Kariba Dam reached only 10% capacity by the end of 2019, causing power shortages because the country generates over half its electricity from hydropower. This has contributed to a global food crisis where more than four million people struggle to feed themselves.
• Cambodia faces acute food and energy risks due to the combination of drought and upstream hydropower dams on the Mekong River. These factors have caused fisheries to collapse and disrupted hydropower, which provides 40% of the country's electricity, leading to power outages and potential food spoilage.
• Pakistan's water and food security are undermined by inefficient irrigation systems that lose over half of their water and the depletion of the Indus River Basin aquifer, the second most depleted globally. Despite being a major crop exporter, only one-fifth of the population has access to safe drinking water.
• The author proposes three pillars for effective nexus management: Knowledge (enhancing data collection and sharing to target high-priority locations), Governance (strengthening institutional operations and long-term planning), and Cooperation (promoting regional and cross-sectoral coordination to avoid isolated, counterproductive investments).

APA

Walker, S. (2020). Triple Threat: Water, Energy and Food Insecurity. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/triple-threat-water-energy-and-food-insecurity

Chicago

Walker, Sara. Triple Threat: Water, Energy and Food Insecurity. World Resources Institute, 2020. https://www.wri.org/insights/triple-threat-water-energy-and-food-insecurity.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Walker |first1=Sara |title=Triple Threat: Water, Energy and Food Insecurity |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=19 October 2020 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/triple-threat-water-energy-and-food-insecurity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{walker2020triple, author = {Walker, Sara}, title = {{Triple Threat: Water, Energy and Food Insecurity}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/triple-threat-water-energy-and-food-insecurity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }