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Heat wave in Peru in November: Lake Titicaca is dry in places
Photo: Martin Mejia / AP
Around half of the world's population suffers from severe water shortages, at least seasonally, more than two billion people live without access to clean drinking water and around 3.5 billion people cannot use clean sanitary facilities: according to the annual UNESCO water report.
According to the UN cultural organization, increasing water scarcity can fuel conflicts around the world. "If we want to maintain peace, we must act quickly not only to protect water resources, but also to strengthen regional and global cooperation in this area," said Director General Audrey Azoulay.
According to the information, population growth is not necessarily responsible for the increasing demand for water: Where the population is growing fastest, per capita consumption is often lowest.
Dangerous for girls’ education
According to the information, freshwater consumption is increasing by one percent annually. It was said that the reason was changed eating habits. Even though almost 70 percent of the fresh water taken from the natural cycle goes to agriculture, industry (20 percent) and households (10 percent) are primarily responsible for the increasing demand.
Water scarcity also has negative consequences for women and girls, especially for their school education. In many rural areas, they are said to be responsible for the increasingly time-consuming water supply - which affects training. According to the report, the lack of water is also seen as a driver for migration.
“It is almost always the poorest and weakest groups whose well-being and existence are most at risk,” says the UNESCO report.
Cross-border management
Contrary to expectations, water has not yet developed into a significant “trigger” for conflicts. According to UNESCO, water shortages have the potential to spark disputes. For example, the drainage of wetlands in the Sahel region of Africa has led to disputes over access to water and fertile land.
“Due to climate change, among other things, there is increasing water shortage, more conflicts and there is a risk that there could be wars over water in the future,” said Sonja Köppel, head of the Secretariat of the UN Water Convention, to the dpa. UNESCO therefore recommends more cooperation in cross-border water use, for example through the Water Convention. The 1992 convention helps neighboring countries that share water resources establish common management to prevent conflict.
"We have seen in recent years and even centuries that joint water management has played a role as a peacemaker," said Köppel. The neighbors of the Sava River - Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia - concluded an international agreement shortly after the end of the war in 2002, which, among other things, dealt with the exchange of data on water quality and quantity. This has led to further cooperation, for example in the area of environmental protection. "That contributed to the pacification of the region."
ani/dpa