World Water Crisis Source 3

UN Highlights World Water Crisis

In many regions of the world, water is being used up faster than it is being naturally replaced. Around the world agriculture uses over 80% of available water, and incredibly 60% of this water is wasted. It is lost to canals that leak, evaporation, and mismanagement. The problem is not that there is not enough water in the world, the problem is that the water that we do have is mismanaged.

In many poorer regions, people must carry their water to their homes, and therefore they use less water. Families that must walk to get water have less time to do other things, like go to school.

Two million tons of waste is disposed into fresh water each day. This is a major factor in the spread of waterborne disease. In Asia, about 35% of waste water is treated, 14% in Latin America, and almost none in Africa.

Many waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera are accountable for 80% of illnesses and deaths in the developing world. A majority of the people who die are children, every eight seconds a child dies from waterborne diseases, about 15 million children each year.

1- What is being done to help treat the people with waterborne diseases?

2- How does the water crisis affect people in Europe and America?

3- How is wastewater properly disposed of?

4- Why are two million tons of waste dumped each day?

World Water Crisis Source 2

Dawn of a Thirsty Century

Of all the water that covers our planet, only a small fraction can be used for drinking. Only 2.5% of the water is fresh water, or water with-out salt in it. Of this, 20% is in remote areas, or is unusable for other reasons. We only have 0.08% of the world’s water to use for sanitation and drinking. With the world’s population rising, this will pose a major threat for the well being of the world. UNEP, or United Nations Environment Programme, stated that the water crisis is one of the top two problems threatening the world, the other being global warming. Of the water we have, 70% is used for agriculture. As the world’s population expands, we will need more and more water to feed the starving people. Of the water we use for agriculture, a vast percentage either evaporates, or is lost to leaks and drips.

1- What can we do as individuals to fight against the water crisis?

2- Do we have enough water if we did not waste any to supply the world’s needs?

3- How does the United Nations play a role in stopping the water crisis?

World Water Crisis Source 1

World Water Council

There is a major problem with safe drinking water and sanitation in the world today. Over one billion people do not have access to clean drinking water in the world. Two out of six people in the world, about 2.6 billion people, have no access to sanitation, and this leads to contamination of drinking water and waterborne diseases. These numbers are outrageous, and if we do not act soon, the situation can only become worse. Change in food habits can help ease the struggles of a water crisis. An example of this is that 1kg of potatoes use 100 liters of water, compared to 1kg of beef that requires 13,000 liters. The World Water Council states that to help bring the world fresh water, several steps must be taken:
guarantee the right to water;
decentralize the responsibility for water;
develop know-how at the local level;
increase and improve financing;
valuate and monitor water resources.
The goals stated above must be met on a global scale, individual governments must work together because this affects everyone. if we all take action, we can help stop this Water Crisis.

1- What does the World Water Council do to fight against the water crisis?

2- How can governments help increase the sanitation measures, and protect their citizens?

3- What will happen if this continues to go untreated?