UN CHIEF WARNS OF ‘VAMPIRIC OVERCONSUMPTION’ OF WATER RESOURCES

Thu 23 March 2023:

UN Secretary General António Guterres said humanity is in peril due to a worldwide shortage of clean water that is only threatening to worsen in the coming years.

“We’ve broken the water cycle, destroyed ecosystems and contaminated groundwater,” Guterres said at the start of a three-day conference in New York to discuss Earth’s freshwater resources.

“We are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use and evaporating it through global heating,” he said.

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It is the first major UN meeting since 1977 to deal exclusively with the topic of water. Dozens of ministers and some heads of state and government are to attend.

A mid-term review of the so-called International Water Action Decade from 2018 to 2028 is being conducted. No major deal is being negotiated, but a non-binding action paper is to be voted on.

A big focus is on the extent to which internationally agreed targets related to drinking water and sanitary facilities can be achieved, including providing everyone with access to clean water by 2030.

Climate issues and the economic difficulties linked to more freshwater pollution are making drinking water harder to come by, according to the World Water Report released ahead of the conference.

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“As a result of climate change, seasonal water scarcity will increase in regions where it is currently abundant – such as Central Africa, East Asia and parts of South America – and worsen in regions where water is already in short supply – such as the Middle East and the Sahel in Africa,” said the UN report.

On an annual average, 10% of the world’s population lives in countries at high or critical risk of water scarcity problems.

This is evident in East Africa, where more than 33 million people do not have enough to drink, according to the aid organization Oxfam. In parts of Somalia, northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, up to 90% of the wells in rural areas, which are essential for survival, have dried up completely, according to Oxfam calculations, released on Wednesday on the occasion of World Water Day.

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According to the separate UN report, global water consumption is expected to increase by about 1% per year until 2050, similar to the past 40 years.

In poorer countries, the risk is mainly due to poor water quality, while in industrialized countries, consumption by agriculture is problematic. Due to the climate crisis, certain regions are increasingly exposed to extreme and prolonged droughts, which has serious consequences for plant and animal life.

In his speech, Guterres emphasized that new ways of treating and conserving the “elixir of life” are needed, as well as a global information system to forecast water requirements in real time.

An early warning system against dangerous climate or weather events is also needed, the UN chief said.

-DPA

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