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Cool, Clear Water Just a Dream for Millions NEW YORK, New York, January 3, 2002 (ENS) - The world is rapidly running out of fresh, drinkable water, according to an assessment presented in April 2000 to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Since then, the world's water resources have diminished even further.
Water resources constraints and water degradation are weakening one of the resource bases on which human society is built, the UN warned. High withdrawals of water, and heavy pollution loads have already caused widespread harm to a number of ecosystems. On December 4, 2001, ministers with responsibilities for water affairs, environment and development from 46 countries assembled at the International Conference on Freshwater in Bonn, Germany to discuss actions required to increase water security and to achieve sustainable management of water resources. "We express our deep concern," the ministers declared, "that at the beginning of the 21st century 1.2 billion people live a life in poverty without access to safe drinking water, and that almost 2.5 billion have no access to proper sanitation. Safe and sufficient water and sanitation are basic human needs." During the 20th century, water use grew at more than twice the rate of the population increase. About one-third of the world's population lives in countries that are experiencing moderate to high water stress partly resulting from increasing demands from a growing population and human activities. By 2025, as much as two-thirds of the world population could be under water stress conditions, the UN assessment predicts. Water shortages and pollution are causing widespread public health problems, limiting economic and agricultural development, and harming a wide range of ecosystems. They may put global food supplies in jeopardy, and lead to economic stagnation in many areas of the world. The result could be a series of local and regional water crises with global implications. At the International Freshwater Conference, figures were introduced showing that 6,000 people a day, or over two million a year, are dying as a result of sub-standard sanitation and unclean water. Many of those deaths occur in Africa, and in Bonn, African ministers in charge of water from 22 countries urged that action to reduce deaths due to poor hygiene and polluted water be placed at the core of the next year's World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa. To move ahead before the Summit, Nigeria will host the first conference of the African Ministers for Water in Abuja during March and April.
"It is urgent to close this gap using existing resources more efficiently and with additional financial resources from all sources: public investment budgets, capital markets, and community based finance, user and polluter charges; as well as increased international development financing from public and private sources particularly for developing countries to reflect the acute needs in the water sector," the ministers declared. Water demands are so high that a number of large rivers decrease in volume as they flow downstream, with the result that downstream users face shortages, and ecosystems suffer, both in the rivers and in adjacent coastal areas. Many underground water resources are being drained faster than nature can replenish them. A growing number of the world's rivers, lakes and groundwater aquifers are being contaminated by human, industrial and agricultural wastes, the conference acknowledged. The pollution not only affects freshwater quality, but much of it flows into the world's oceans, threatening marine life. The future health of the oceans depends heavily on how the freshwater systems are managed. There are some bright spots, the UN assessment pointed out. There have been some improvements in water quality, particularly when citizen pressure for cleanups grew, and governments and industry responded. Most developed countries have begun treating an increasing part of their municipal sewage, and a number of their industries are reducing discharges of many toxic substances. As a result, there have been improvements in the health of some wildlife species, and reduced risks to human health.
But, on balance, these gains have not reversed either the general trend toward water shortages, nor the widespread decline in water quality. Water pollution will continue to increase unless more effort is put into pollution prevention, increase sewage treatment, and employ cleaner and more water-efficient forms of industrial production. This means using substances that are less toxic, and reducing the release into the environment of potentially harmful materials that are used in agriculture, industry and homes. Because of increasing competition among demands for a finite resource, there is a growing perception of water as an economic good and as a tradable commodity. As human demands grow, so will the price of water and possibly food prices, placing a heavier burden on the poorer strata of the world's population. About 300 major river basins, and many groundwater aquifers cross national boundaries. It is essential for riparian countries to find ways of cooperating over the development and management of these transboundary water sources, if they are to maximize mutual benefits from the use of the resource. The amounts of water available and its quality are directly related to such activities as forestry, farming, urban developments and industrial strategies. To make water use more sustainable, planners at all levels need to understand water issues, and make them a central part of their development plans, the UN assessment advised. For the future, the World Summit on Sustainable Development set for August and September to follow up on the 1992 Earth Summit will be asked to implement the ecosystem approach for the water sector and place freshwater at the center of its action plan. The issue of water was not central to the 1992 Earth Summit, and language in the water section of the action plan issued by the delegates was vague. To continue work on water protection, the United Nations has declared The International Year of Freshwater in 2003, and has made plans for a 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan that year. Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2001. All rights reserved. |
The assessment found "clear and convincing evidence that the world faces a
worsening series of local and regional water quantity and quality problems,
largely as a result of poor water allocation, wasteful use of the resource,
and lack of adequate management action."
There is an enormous gap in funding investments in water infrastructure,
maintenance, training and capacity building, research, and data generation,
the ministers declared in their final communique.
Some countries have also made impressive reductions in the amount of water
needed for irrigation, industrial and municipal purposes by using more
effective water management systems and better technologies.
