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Without water, survival, human or otherwise, is impossible. The relatively little freshwater on our planet in accessible form is unevenly distributed. One in five people lack access to safe water, and almost half the world's population lacks access to adequate sanitation. More than 1.7 million people die every year from illnesses linked to poor water and sanitation. One in three people live in countries that are moderately to severely water deprived. The resulting water scarcity has significant effects on many aspects of human health, agriculture and species diversity. Inevitably, in water-scarce situations it is poor women who bear the burden of carrying water long distances to their homes.
Water scarcity is not only about quantity but also
quality. Some 90% of sewage and 70% of industrial waste in developing countries
is untreated, often contaminating already scarce freshwater supplies. More than
half the world's major rivers are seriously depleted and polluted as a result of
sewage, chemical discharges, petroleum leaks, mine and agricultural runoff and
other pollutants. The simple act of bathing in many developing countries can
bring life-threatening misery.
Washing in polluted seas, for example, is estimated to cause some 250 million
cases of gastroenteritis and upper respiratory disease every year. Children are
particularly vulnerable to such conditions, and 4,000 children a day die from
diseases that can be prevented by clean water and good sanitation. However the
$7 billion needed annually over the next decade to provide 2.6 billion people
with access to clean water is less than European spend on perfume and less than
Americans spend on elective corrective surgery. This is for an investment that
would save an estimated 4,000 lives each day.
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Water scarcity may also escalate tensions between
nations. Water consumption has increased six-fold in the last century, over
twice the rate of population growth. In just over two decades, more than 5
billion people could be living in water-stressed nations. Yet water scarcity
cannot be permitted to lock people, regions and nations in a fierce, competitive
struggle. The challenge is not to mobilize to compete for water but to cooperate
in reconciling competing needs.
UNESCO will be responsible for the coordination of World Water Day on 22
March 2006 within the framework of the International Decade for Action,
"Water for Life." Also the 4th World Water Forum, an international
event held every three years by the World Water Council (WWC), is scheduled
for Mexico City in March 2006.
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