2.2 billion people lack clean water

The “World Water Report 2023” commissioned by the United NationsEducational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and released on World Water Day on Friday said that globally, 2.2 billion people do not have access to clean water.

The report also estimates that one in two people globally face clean water scarcity for several months each year, and that 3.5 billion people are currently forced to live in unsanitary conditions.

“In some parts of the world, water scarcity has become the norm. We know the consequences of this: water shortages not only fuel geopolitical tensions, but also pose a threat to fundamental rights in general, such as significantly eroding the status of girls and women,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

According to UNESCO, the poorest people will be most affected by the current water crisis and the United Nations' sustainable development goals are at risk of failure.

The report cites the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals from 2016 to estimate that this will cost around $1.7 trillion between 2016 and 2030, or $114 billion per year.

Meanwhile, globally , official development assistance disbursements to the water sector fell by 15% between 2015 and 2021, from $9.6 billion to $8.1 billion.

According to the report, more than 85% of countries (105 out of 123 countries that responded to the UNESCO survey) have processes defined in law or policy related to clean drinking water and water resources management in rural areas.

In addition, only 29 out of 117 responding countries reported high or very high participation of target communities in planning and managing processes to achieve clean drinking water and resource management.

Nguyen Khanh (according to DW, Vanguard, Al Jareeza)

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