The global water crisis has been making headlines for the last few years, as more and more people across the world have become affected by the lack of clean water.
In fact, the problem is now so big that it does not just impact the amount of drinking water available, but sanitation, agriculture, the economy, global finances and the environment.
That is why more needs to be done to protect water resources, with The World Bank saying: “Water lies at the core of our collective prosperity and survival.”
What are the biggest threats of the water crisis?
Thanks to an increase in global temperature, water is becoming more scarce. This means 1.1 billion people do not have access to water and as much as 2.7 billion experience water scarcity for at least one month of the year.
Consequently, people have to travel long distances to get their hands on water for survival, with World Vision reporting women and girls spend 200 million hours carrying 40 pounds of water for an average of 3.7 miles a day.
This problem is only going to get worse as climate change progresses and the human population continues to grow.
Indeed, the rapid growth in the number of people across the world has meant that natural environments, such as forests, have had to be replaced with urban areas. This loss of biodiversity has caused water levels to plummet, and now 41 per cent of the world’s population live in areas that are under water stress.
Unicef estimates that one quarter of all children will be living in areas of extremely high water stress by 2040.
In addition to the lack of safe drinking water, the problem of water scarcity means poor sanitation is a growing problem. More than 1,000 children under the age of five die from diseases that are related to poor hygiene every day, such as cholera and typhoid fever, and 1.69 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation.
Climate change is also altering weather patterns, such as causing droughts and floods, evaporation from waterways, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels that contaminate freshwater sources.
Floods can also cause contamination to rivers and lakes by washing dirt and debris into them, and a decline in snowy areas means these can no longer act as natural freshwater reservoirs.
With all these challenges, it is imperative that world leaders get together and put in strategies to reduce the impact of the water crisis as soon as possible.
What has been done so far?
Introduced Water Strategy
The World Bank’s Global Department For Water calls 2024 a “year of progress” for the problem of water scarcity, as many things were done to protect clean water supplies across the globe.
For instance, it introduced its Water Strategy, together with IFC and MIGA. This will focus on Water for People; Water for Food; and Water for the Planet. It hopes to create universal access to safe water and sanitation, enhance food production, reduce water-related risks, and sustainably manage water resources.
Created reports
It also created three reports to understand the problem more, so that it can better develop ideas that will secure water resources for the future.
This included looking at the public spending on water, which revealed a gap of $140.8 billion (£111.61 billion) every year. It also looked at the connection between water, economic growth and shared prosperity, which showed the increasing inequality in water access across the globe.
Finally, it created a strategic framework for the public and private sectors, and international organisations and intermediaries on how they can work together to protect water.
Created partnerships
Another important step forward for the water crisis was the creation of partnerships last year. This included establishing the Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnerships, and the 2030 Water Resources Group.
The former has already led 70 countries to collectively lend more than $9.3 billion across 240 projects, while the latter boosts investments in water solutions by joining businesses, government and civilians to address water risks.
Important events
There were some key events that took place last year to promote the importance of water protection, including COP29 in Baku, the One Water Summit in Riyadh, and UNCCD COP16. These looked at building climate resilience, integrated water solutions, and improving water and land management.
Measuring progress
The recent introduction of the World Bank Group Scorecard has made countries more accountable for their actions. This will hopefully lead to more impactful actions.
The future is, therefore, looking more promising now for the global water crisis. However, more work always needs to be done, with the Global Department For Water calling for a greater investment in water, as it claims this is necessary for the survival of the entire planet.
Businesses also have an important part to play, as they are huge consumers of clean water. Therefore, switching water suppliers to one that is committed to protecting Britain’s waterways could make a big difference to the global problem.
