Maldives among poorest in water resources: UN

MALE, March 5 (HNS) – Though the Maldives archipelago covers 90,000 square kilometers of ocean, the island state is among the poorest in fresh water resources according to a United Nations report released Wednesday. Some of the wealthiest states on the globe are among the very poorest when it comes to water resources, according to figures released by the UN's World Water Development Report. Among 180 states and entities, the slots in the top 10 for water availability go to sparsely-populated northern countries or tropical countries that are economically poor. The bottom 10 is dominated by Singapore and the oil-rich but arid states of the Gulf. Here are the two extremes: Ranking, Country or territory, Renewable water resources (cubic metres per head per year) 1. Greenland 10,767,857 2. Alaska (USA) 1,563,168 3. French Guiana 812,121 4. Iceland 609,319 5. Guyana 316,689 6. Suriname 292,566 7. Dem. Repub. of Congo (DRC) 275,679 8. Papua New Guinea 166,563 9. Gabon 133,333 10. Solomon Islands 100,000 (...) 171. Singapore 149 172. Malta 129 173. Saudi Arabia 118 174. Libya 113 175. Maldives 103 176. Qatar 94 177. Bahamas 66 178. UAE 58 179. Gaza Strip 52 180. Kuwait 10