The groundwater table in Beijing drops a half-meter per day. China and India have to import grain because there is not enough water for crop cultivation. In the grain fields of Punjab agriculturists have to drill 270 meters into the earth in order to find water – ten years ago it was only 90 meters. These numbers clearly demonstrate the decrease in water resources. Water, like oil, is a non-regenerative element of life. How long humankind will have petroleum at its disposal is estimated at a maximum of 135 years. Such estimations for water can only be provisional since daily water use depends on consumer habits and the rate of population growth. The average person uses around 50 liters per day for drinking and personal hygiene; add to that around 8000 liters of water needed for the manufacture of his or her daily food. Enormous amounts of water are necessary for the production of biofuel. One liter of ethanol requires approximately 4500 liters of water. That makes production expensive and leads to increasing prices for staple foods. The price for one ton of corn (maize) has already risen from 128 to 135 dollars. Agriculture is the leading water consumer. It uses about 90 percent of the freshwater, but does not use it efficiently enough. In poorer, mostly warmer countries the water flows through aboveground channels. The result: Much too much water evaporates. Access to water is a human right. It is now regulated by law in South Africa that every person has the right to 25 liters of water per day free of charge. Whoever needs more must pay for it.