The right to safe drinking water and sanitation is rooted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations resolutions and the Geneva conventions. It is a right that is as critical to the survival of children as food, medical care, and protection from attack. But from Cox鈥檚 Bazar in Bangladesh to Ukraine to Yemen, crises have become increasingly protracted and conflict threatens interconnected urban service systems. To improve children鈥檚 access to clean drinking water, and to save lives in conflicts and crises, calls for three major changes.
Water
The , published by on behalf of , shows that the inability to recognize the value of water is the main cause of water waste and misuse.
Water is the lifeblood of all life on Earth. And yet, over 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. Over 4 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation. Water shortages now affect more than 3 billion people. Three quarters of all the natural disasters are water-related, including floods, landslides, and other extreme weather events. A recent report describes the global water crisis, focusing on the negative impacts of water pollution, water scarcity and water-related disasters on the enjoyment of several human rights.
Around the world some 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation, and 700 million people could be displaced due to scarcity of water by 2030. A number of factors are contributing to the world鈥檚 water crisis, not least rising temperatures, shifting rainfall, and extreme weather driven by a warming planet. To address the challenges, is working with governments and communities worldwide to achieve equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
Water has enormous and complex value for our households, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. This year, the observance, organized by , is about what water means to people, its true value and how we can better protect this vital resource. and tell us your story!
More and more people in water-scarce countries rely on desalinated water for drinking, cooking and washing. Here are .
Around 1.8 billion people are at heightened risk of COVID-19 and other diseases because they use or work in health care facilities without basic water services, . The situation is worst of all in the world鈥檚 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs): 1 in 2 health care facilities does not have basic drinking water, 1 in 4 health care facilities has no hand hygiene facilities at points of care; and 3 in 5 lack basic sanitation services.
Water in East Darfur is not in short supply, but is mostly available from water reserves deep underground, making the precious resource difficult and costly to extract. A multifaceted project focused on improving natural resource management and access to potable water in rural areas is helping to improve health, strengthen livelihoods and foster peace in an area prone to conflict. 鈥淲ater is the artery of life. Without water we can't carry on our lives. For us, having water has solved many problems,鈥 says Elnor Alsair Elnor, the head of the local natural resource committee in Kadeik.