Global Issues: Water

Introduction

Water is essential for healthy ecosystems, socioeconomic development, food and energy production, and human existence, which is at the heart of sustainable development. As the vital link between society and the environment, water is also at the core of adaptation to climate change.

A rights issue also involves water. In order to ensure that communities have enough water to meet their needs, it is becoming more and more important to balance the competing commercial demands on water resources as the world's population rises. In particular, women and girls must have access to sanitary facilities that are clean and private so that they can manage menstruation and childbirth with respect and safety.

Water and sanitation cannot be separated at the human level. Together, they are essential for lowering the burden of sickness on the planet and enhancing population health, educational attainment, and economic production.

Water-related difficulties

There are 2.2 billion individuals who lack access to services that manage drinking water responsibly. 2019 (WHO/UNICEF)
Nearly 2 billion people rely on medical institutions that lack access to basic utilities like water. 2020 (WHO/UNICEF)
4.2 billion people, or more than half of the world's population, lack access to well run sanitation systems. 2019 (WHO/UNICEF)
Due to inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene, or contaminated water, 297,000 children under the age of five pass away each year from diarrheal infections. 2019 (WHO/UNICEF)
There are 2 billion people who live in water-stressed nations. (UN 2019)
90% of all natural disasters, including floods and droughts, are caused by weather. (UNISDR)
Without being treated or recycled, 80% of wastewater returns to the ecosystem. 2017 (UNESCO)
Two-thirds of the transboundary rivers in the world lack a cooperative management system. (SIWI)
70% of the world's water withdrawal is used for agriculture. (FAO)

The United Nations General Assembly's affirmation of the human right to water and sanitation in July 2010 was one of the most significant recent turning points. The Assembly declared that every person has the right to access to between 50 and 100 litres of water per person per day for personal and household usage. Water must be suitable, economical, and safe. The cost of water shouldn't be more than 3% of household income. Additionally, the water supply needs to be 1,000 meters or less from the house, and the collection duration can't go over 30 minutes.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6

"Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all," reads Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. The aims are intended to advance a number of other SDGs, including those related to health, education, economic development, and the environment. They address every component of the water cycle and sanitation systems.

The United Nations has long been addressing the global crisis caused by insufficient water supply

The lack of water to meet basic human requirements and the rising demand on the world's water resources to meet industrial, commercial, and agricultural needs have created a crisis that the United Nations has long sought to address.

This essential resource was the focus of the Earth Summit (1992), the International Conference on Water and the Environment (1992), the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990), and the United Nations Water Conference (1977).

As part of the endeavor to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the "Water for Life" International Decade for Action 2005-2015 assisted around 1.3 billion people in poor countries in gaining access to clean drinking water and sped up the development of sanitation.

The 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2015 Paris Agreement within the UN Convention Framework on Climate Change, and the 2015 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction are recent landmark agreements.

The fight against severe poverty and disease in the world's poorest nations is being hampered by contaminated water and a lack of basic sanitation.

Around the world, 2 billion people lacked access to latrines or other forms of basic sanitation in 2017. There are still 673 million individuals who use open defecation. The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation estimates that at least 1.2 billion people globally consume water that is not shielded from feces pollution. Even more people drink water that is delivered via a system with insufficient hygienic safeguards.

Contaminated water and infant mortality

One of the main causes of child mortality is unclean water and inadequate sanitization. Inadequate water supply, poor sanitation, water tainted with contagious disease agents, and poor hygiene habits are all major contributors to childhood diarrhea. According to estimates, diarrhea kills 1.5 million children annually, largely those under five who reside in impoverished nations.

Enhanced sanitation and financial gains

The links between a lack of access to water and sanitation and the development goals are obvious, and there are proven and affordable solutions to the issue. According to a 2012 WHO report, every US dollar spent on better sanitation generates an average US $5.5 in global economic returns. These advantages are especially felt by underprivileged children and those living in underserved areas, who most need them.

The appreciation of water resources

World Water Day, which falls on March 22, and World Toilet Day, which falls on November 19, are two annual UN worldwide observances focused on water and sanitation. A public campaign is held every day to draw attention to a specific topic, motivate people to take action, and raise knowledge of the issues.

World Water Day, 22 March 2018, marked the beginning of the International Decade for Action, "Water for Sustainable Development," which will last until World Water Day, 22 March 2028.

The Decade is about stepping up efforts to address issues related to water, such as inadequate access to clean water and sanitary facilities, mounting strain on ecosystems and water resources, and increased danger of droughts and floods.