“Water is in deep trouble,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday at the U.N. Water Conference in New York.
Guterres said countries “are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use” and urged them to treat water as “a tool to foster peace and international cooperation.”
Insufficient drinking water and sanitation: In addition to the 2 billion people grappling with a lack of available drinking water, some 3.6 billion do not have access to securely managed sanitation, according to this year’s U.N. World Water Development Report.
Coordinated by UNESCO, the report was released at the U.N. Water Conference in New York on World Water Day, held annually in March to advocate for sustainable management of freshwater resources.
The global urban population contending with water scarcity could double from 933 million people in 2016 to between 1.7 and 2.4 billion people by 2050, the World Water Development Report found.
India is expected to be the most severely affected by these conditions, according to the report.
Water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, could cost some regions of the world up to 6 percent of their gross domestic product by 2050, according to the report.
Such damages could occur due to water-related effects on agriculture, health and finances — possibly “spurring migration and even conflict,” the U.N. found.
The rising incidence of extreme and prolonged droughts is also devastating ecosystems — bringing dire consequences to animal and plant species.
UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay emphasized “the extent to which water, whose cycle is global, is permanently at odds with human boundaries.”
“It is up to us to draw the necessary conclusions and to see it as what it is: a vital and common good of humanity, which must therefore be considered on the scale of humanity,” she added.
What can be done? Guterres called for action to help bridge “the water management gap,” including urging governments to develop and institute plans to ensure equitable access to water, investing in water and sanitation system, building disaster-proof pipelines and other infrastructure, and adopting climate-smart food systems.
“Water is a human right — and a common development denominator to shape a better future,” the secretary-general said.
“Climate action and a sustainable water future are two sides of the same coin,” he added.
