Up to Half of The World Water Supply Is Being Stolen

All three activities are water-intensive, and all three case studies show the effects of market demands on water theft – stealing water is simply very profitable, most of the time, and certainly more profitable than following environmental regulations (in the Spanish case study, regulations in place to protect a migratory bird site).

Uncertainty about water supplies, caused both by human actions and natural variations in rainfall, is also one of the key drivers of water theft, the study suggests.

A lack of any real policing is a factor too – if there's no chance of being caught, people will steal water even when they don't need it.

On the other hand, effective monitoring and a widespread assumption of high compliance in a society (where everyone believes that everyone else is being honest) help to reduce water theft.

One of the big changes we can make, according to the research, is to make sure that penalties for stealing water are both significant and properly enforced – especially in remote and rural areas.

Publicly exposing theft can also help in some situations.

"Consistent with earlier research, the case studies clearly support the importance of well-resourced (financial and human) enforcement and compliance monitoring especially in the remote parts of delivery systems.

The research has been published in Nature Sustainability.