The UN calls for immediate action to ensure that the whole planet has water in the future. It took about 20 years for the world to admit that former World Bank vice president Ismail Serageldin’s statement in 1995 that “if the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water” are over. beyond real.
And while nothing seems to us as self-evident as water, as necessary for life as the air we breathe, few people know that about 1/9 of the world’s population does not have access to water sources, while mainly in third world countries 5 millions of people die each year from diseases related to polluted water, ten times as many as are killed each year in wars.
But the most shocking thing is that by 2030 47% of the world’s population will live in areas with severe water scarcity, while in 2040 one in four people will not have access to water.
Warning signal from the UN
Based on the above evidence, it is not surprising that the recent warning of the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, that humanity is at risk of water shortages and must immediately “change course” in the way it manages this “valuable public good” to avoid worse.
“All humanity’s hopes for the future depend, in some way, on a science-based change in attitude to give life to the Water Action Agenda” set out on the basis of commitments made during the of a recent United Nations conference on the matter, he said characteristically.
The world is not on track to meet its 2030 water targets, particularly in terms of access to drinking water and sanitation for all. “Now is the time to act,” he pointed out, criticizing “the vampiric overconsumption” of humanity and the climate crisis it has caused.
Action Plan
From building toilets to restoring 300,000 kilometers of rivers, the “programme of action” drawn up during the conference included nearly 700 commitments from non-governmental organizations, governments or the private sector.
However, “about a third (of pledges) can have a substantial impact,” while specific funding has been announced for less than a third, noted Charles Island of the World Resources Institute.
But it is “a good start,” he added, referring to Germany’s plan to manage the Niger River basin in the nine countries it crosses. In a bid to boost efforts, conference participants proposed appointing a UN special envoy for water, which Guterres said he would consider.
Shocking facts
It is noted that in 2020, 2 billion people did not have access to safe, potable water and 3.6 billion did not have access to sanitation services, of which 494 million were forced to defecate in the open, according to the latest figures of the UN-Water platform.
At least two billion people drink water contaminated with feces and 2.3 billion lack access to basic sanitation services. Conditions favoring the spread of deadly diseases, cholera and dysentery.
At a time when drought is increasing due to climate change, UN climate experts (Giec) estimate that “about half the world’s population” experiences “severe” water shortages at least at times of the year.
The fact that the world is now facing an imminent water crisis is confirmed by a new relevant report which estimates that the demand is expected to exceed the supply of fresh water by 40% by the end of this decade.
Water wars
And because water wars are considered a sure bet and even in the near future, Peter Gleick, head of the Pacific Ocean Institute located in Oakland, clarifies that there are 3 types of conflicts related to its lack and will at some point lead to the big bang:
1) conflicts may occur as a result of drought, where tensions are related to access and control of water bodies
2) water can be used as a tool of conflict, which involves building dams for strategic water control and
3) water sources, water treatment structures or pipelines are deliberately targeted in ongoing wars.
