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New York, March 22 (BNA): A new report released Tuesday, on the eve of the first major United Nations water conference in more than 45 years, says that 26% of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water and 46% lack it. Access to basic sanitation.
The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023 paints a stark picture of the huge gap that must be bridged to achieve the United Nations’ goals of ensuring that all people have access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.
The estimated cost of achieving the goals ranges from $600 billion to $1 trillion annually, Richard Connor, the report’s editor-in-chief, told a news conference, according to the Associated Press.
Just as important, Connor said, is partnering with investors, financiers, governments and climate change communities to ensure that money is invested in ways to preserve the environment and provide safe water and sanitation for the two billion people who do not have it. 3.6 million needy.
According to the report, water use globally has grown at roughly 1% per year over the past 40 years and is “expected to grow at a similar rate through 2050, driven by a combination of population growth, socioeconomic development, and changing consumption patterns.”
Connor said the actual increase in demand is occurring in developing countries and emerging economies where they are driven by industrial growth and especially the rapid increase in urban population. In these urban areas, he said, “you see a real surge in demand.”
Connor said that with agriculture using 70% of all water globally, irrigation of crops would have to be more efficient as in some countries now using drip irrigation, which saves water. “This allows water to be provided to cities,” he said.
As a result of climate change, seasonal water scarcity will increase in areas where it is currently abundant such as Central Africa, East Asia and parts of South America and will worsen in areas that are already water-scarce, such as the Middle East and Sahara in Africa,” the report said.
On average, 10% of the world’s population lives in countries with high or critical water stress, and as many as 3.5 billion people live under water stress conditions for at least one month a year, according to the report from the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization. and culture (UNESCO). Scientific and cultural organization.
Since 2000, floods in the tropics have quadrupled while floods in mid-northern latitudes have increased by 2.5 times, the report said. Determining trends in droughts is more difficult, the report said, “although an increase in the severity or frequency of droughts and ‘temperature extremes’ can be expected in most regions as a direct result of climate change.”
As for water pollution, according to Connor, the biggest source of pollution is untreated sewage.
“Globally, 80 percent of wastewater is released into the environment without any treatment, and in many developing countries this figure is as high as 99 percent,” he said.
These and other issues, including protecting aquatic ecosystems, improving water resource management, increasing water reuse, and promoting cross-border cooperation on water use, will be discussed during the three-day UN Water Conference co-chaired by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and King of Tajikistan. President Emomali Rehman opens Wednesday morning.
171 countries, including more than 100 ministers, are on the list of speakers along with more than 20 organizations. The meeting will also include five “interactive dialogues” and dozens of side events.
FKN