Water consumption in a number of European cities has increased: about 60% of large European cities are over-exploiting their groundwater resources and water availability, and water quality may increasingly constrain urban development in countries where there are shortages, particularly in southern Europe.
Vatnsneysla hefur aukist í nokkrum borgum Evrópu: um 60% af stórborgum Evrópu ofhýta grunnvatnsaurtlindir sínar og vatnsframbort, en gæði vatns geta haft veraleg áhrif á þróun þéttbýlis í ríkjum bar sem er vatnsskortur, einkum í Suður-Evrópu.