Water crisis is becoming more evident in different parts of the world, impacting not only human population centers but also wildlife. Exacerbated by drought conditions, rising temperatures, and heat waves, water resources have shrunk significantly in recent years. In Spain, widespread water restrictions were imposed in 2023 as water reservoirs were either running low or depleted, affecting millions of people. Similar problems were also seen in California last year.
The global water crisis not only threatens people from receiving these necessities but it also impacts societal order. According to a recent report by the United Nations, tensions over water are worsening local or regional conflicts worldwide. Since water is an essential inorganic compound used for a variety of purposes, new technologies claim they could provide a solution to the crisis. However, the UN warns against them.
Global Water Crisis
Amid the global water crisis, 2.2 billion people still live without proper access to "safely managed drinking water" and 3.5 billion others lack access to "safely managed sanitation." This is according to the UN Water Development Report 2024 announced during a press release on Friday, March 22. The report was published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The report encompasses not only the impacts of the water crisis on socio-economic aspects but also to regional security and stability. According to Audrey Azoulay, the director-general of UNESCO, the increase in water stress is parallel with the risks of local or regional conflict, calling for the protection of water resources.
In addition, Azoulay also advocates the attainment of peace by regional or global cooperation in this area.
The crisis is mainly caused by persistent droughts, which according to the UN report, affected more than 1.4 billion people worldwide between 2002 and 2021. Furthermore, approximately 50% of the global population experienced severe water scarcity for a part of the year, at least. Concerning climate change, the phenomena are projected to become more frequent and severe, creating more risks for social stability.
Thirsty New Technologies
The UN on Friday also suggested that the world needs to improve its management of its freshwater resources. However, it warned that "thirsty new technologies" pushed as solutions to the global water crisis could do more harm if left unchecked. Aside from natural factors, the water crisis is fuelled by pollution coming from industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals leaking into the world's rivers. Plastic pollution has also emerged as one of the major threats to different bodies of water globally.
The contamination of different bodies of water also makes them unsafe for drinking. In a data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 1.7 billion people in 2022 tap into drinking water source contaminated with feces, which causes microbial contamination of drinking water.
As said in the UN report, the lack of management and sanitation for drinking water fuels water insecurity and availability.
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