Access to clean water is a fundamental human right and the key to a sustainable future, as enshrined in the UN Sustainability Development Goals SDG #6 – a 2024 COP29 urgent issue
“to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all” by 2030.
The 2024 theme of the United Nations Water Day is “Water for Peace”, a call to utilise water to foster Peace and resolve conflicts. Cross-border boundaries account for 60% of the world’s freshwater flows, with 3-billion people depending on the water outside of their national boundaries. With only 24 countries having cooperative agreements in place on shared water resources – aggravated by population growth and climate change catastrophes – unequal water access is a critical life and-death issue with rising border tensions and on-the-ground combat.
In the late 90’s when I briefly returned to Australia from my residence in China, I recall reading, with alarming concern, in Forbes news magazine about the global Water Wars – more precious than gold. Historical water wars of Egypt nationalising the Suez Canal, resulting in military intervention by Israel, the UK and France; and the Syria Tigris-Euphrates river system shared with Turkey and Iraq with subsequent tension from all three countries who rely heavily on these rivers for fresh water.
But it also set off familiar bells with me of the freshwater crises and possible impending Water Wars in Asia – through political control of diminishing cross-border water flows through damming, the effects of heavy manufacturing and climate change – impacting about 5 billion people over 30% of earth’s land mass – affecting their daily life, livelihoods and agriculture.
The much-publicised contaminated water supplies in the Asia region have resulted in disease and crumbling agriculture livelihoods and ill-health – with a handful of NGOs distributing humanitarian supplies of water purification ‘tablets’, such as Aquatabs; and initiating loans for communities to access clean water, like Water.org, set up by Hollywood actor Matt Damon and Gary White in 2009.
Jump to 2024, the Asia Development Bank’s Water Financing Partnership Facility (WFPF) resources predictions are high to $5.0 billion of lending and around $60 million in technical assistance projected in ADB’s water-related project pipeline.
Its major achievements as of December 2023 include support in (i) delivering a total of $10.38 billion in committed investment projects to benefit nearly 127 million people; and (ii) improving the governance of the water sector through policy and institutional reforms, knowledge management, and capacity development. (ADB)
Each year, the World Health Organization attributes about 2 million deaths to poor sanitation, unclean water and substandard hygiene.
The UN says over 40 per cent of the world suffers from severe water stress as global water demand exceeds supply. The release of medical waste, toxic chemicals and household waste into the atmosphere puts densely populated residential areas, especially at risk of contamination.
This also harms the environment: roughly 42 per cent of untreated household wastewater is discharged into rivers and oceans, causing severe pollution. Water scarcity is worsened by climate change, which affects rainfall, increases droughts and floods and reduces water availability. The reuse rate for the estimated aggregate of domestic and industrial wastewater generated stands at 11 per cent. Insufficient sanitation and contaminated water sources play a large role in the spread of waterborne diseases.
The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) launched on World Water Day 2024 is UN Water’s flagship report on water and sanitation issues. The WWDR is published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water and its production is coordinated by the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme.
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Climate change expresses itself through water. Nine out of ten natural disasters are water-related. Water-related climate risks cascade through food, energy, urban and environmental systems. If we are to achieve climate and development goals, Water must be at the core of all industries and people globally.
Water scarcity is described as insufficient water to simultaneously support human and ecosystem water needs- a condition where water demand exceeds available water supply. A country or a region faces “water scarcity” when the availability of natural hygienic water falls below 1000 m3 per person per year – often as a result of poor infrastructure to provide access to what might otherwise be considered ample available water resources – which is referred to as economic water scarcity.
So, in 2024 and beyond, the message is clear. Financial Investments in Water outperform its fiscal returns through humanitarian investor incentives under UNSDG #6; Water is arguably the most important resource/ commodity on planet Earth; Water shortage can lead to social, political, and economic disruption; Water is increasingly scarce, due to climate change, pollution, and increasing demand.
