New York/Nairobi, Mar. 22, (dpa/GNA) – Increasing environmental problems and the economic difficulties linked to more freshwater pollution mean the worldwide shortage of drinking water will continue to increase, according to the World Water Report published on Wednesday at a UN conference.
“As a result of climate change, seasonal water scarcity will increase in regions where it is currently abundant – such as Central Africa, East Asia and parts of South America – and worsen in regions where water is already in short supply – such as the Middle East and the Sahel in Africa,” said the report, published by the cultural organisation UNESCO at the start of the UN Water Conference in New York.
On an annual average, 10% of the world’s population lives in countries at high or critical risk of water scarcity problems.
This is evident in East Africa, where more than 33 million people do not have enough to drink, according to the aid organisation Oxfam. In parts of Somalia, northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, up to 90% of the wells in rural areas, which are essential for survival, have dried up completely, according to Oxfam calculations, released on Wednesday on the occasion of World Water Day.
The UN conference, which will end on Friday, is the first major UN meeting since 1977 to deal exclusively with the topic of water. During the conference, a mid-term review of the so-called International Water Action Decade from 2018 to 2028 will be conducted.
A special focus is on whether UN goals for clean water for all can be achieved. A UN report calls progress toward achieving sustainable development goals insufficient.
Global data show that on average, progress needs to be four times faster” to achieve progress on some goals, it says. Globally, 2 billion people – about one in four – do not have access to clean water.
According to the UN report, global water consumption is expected to increase by about 1% per year until 2050, similar to the past 40 years.
In poorer countries, the risk is mainly due to poor water quality, while in industrialized countries, consumption by agriculture is problematic. Due to the climate crisis, certain regions are increasingly exposed to extreme and prolonged droughts, which has serious consequences for plant and animal life.
The Oxfam report showed the price of drinking water in the three countries on the Horn of Africa rose by up to 400% in some regions since the beginning of 2021 – making it unaffordable for the people there.
The region is experiencing one of the worst droughts in 40 years. Most recently, five rainy seasons were far below average. According to UN figures, almost 10 million livestock have fallen victim to the drought. More than 36 million people would therefore not have enough to eat.
“The hungriest people in the region are also the thirstiest,” said Oxfam’s Africa director, Fati N’Zi-Hassane. People have depleted their last penny as they lost their crops and animals. They now have to pay vendors who continuously hike water prices,” she said. They also rely on unsafe, contaminated wells, which increases the risk of contracting diseases such as cholera.
GNA