Members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research（國際農(nóng)業(yè)研究咨詢小組）warn that fewer and fewer people around the globe will have access to clean, safe water, if governments and organizations fail to address（處理）the problem of water scarcity.

An official with the U.S.-based International Food Policy Research Institute（國際食物政策研究所）, Mark Rosegrant, said water infrastructure and management systems in sub-Saharan Africa（非洲撒哈拉沙漠以南部分）, in particular, are inadequate to keep up with household demand for water, which is expected to double within the next 20 years, or so. "The number of people without access to clean water will increase dramatically, from about 150 million now to just over 400 million by 2025. On the food side, we're seeing that we're likely to have an increase in the number of malnourished（營養(yǎng)不良的）children in sub-Saharan Africa, from about 33 million now to 37 million in 2025."

Mr. Rosegrant said water scarcity is estimated to cut Africa's crop yields by 25 percent within the next 20 years or so.

But the water problem is not just restricted to scarcity. A senior official in Kenya's Ministry of Water Resources and Management, George Krhoda, explains that the massive flooding in the country earlier this year cost the Kenyan economy an estimated million, or 0.6 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product. It's GDP

He said the floods, as well as droughts, cause frequent and widespread power shortages in Kenya.

These and other problems were highlighted at a news conference Sunday, and are expected to be discussed more fully during a five-day conference being held in Nairobi.

The event marks the launch of the Challenge Program on Water and Food, a new initiative from the consultative group to study the problem of water scarcity around the globe.

Fifty research proposals have already been approved under the million initiative, which is being funded by 64 governments and institutions, including the World Bank. Officials are trying to raise 0 million within the next six years.