Water Crisis Threatens Worldwide Economic & Social Development

Water for Humans works closely with local NGOs, community leaders, and government officials in a collaborative manner to help ensure the success of sustainable clean water solutions. As this recently issued U.N. Report on water and sustainability points out, using innovative technologies and forging effective partnerships with government entities are critical steps that need to be taken to begin solving the worldwide water crisis.

U.N-Water and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB)


Key Messages (from U.N. Report)

• Water-wise, the world is in a state of crisis!
  
  
  
• A growing population, increasing water pollution and changing consumption patterns, in particular related to food, provide the basis for the concern that water scarcity and diminishing water quality will become a main constraint on economic and social development and environmental sustainability.
  
  
  
• Since water is essential for all social, environmental and economic activities, water is a resource that demands a sustainable development lens.
  
  
  
  
• The global water crisis will not be solved unless we find joint solutions and work collaboratively with planners, policy makers, and users.
  
  
  
• Linking water-related issues to decisions made outside the water domain is critical.
  
  
  
• Decision-making in all sectors has a significant impact on water resources issues.

Possible Solutions (from U.N. Report)

• Provide incentives for efficient water-use decisions and educate consumers and producers about the linkages between water and goods and services.
  
  
  
• Support the development and use of technologies and management approaches aimed at conserving water in production processes within water-scarce regions.
  
  
  
• Ensure that there is agreement on priorities and equity in distributing the limited amount of water resources available.

We encourage your comments on this report and the issue of how water scarcity and poor water sanitation affects so many aspects of our lives. Thank you for visiting!

Global Water Footprint Shows U.S. is Water Hog

This image above shows just how much we all rely on safe, clean drinking water to keep our industries humming and businesses operating. Water, the world's most precious resource, is predicted to become extremely scarce in just a few decades. In fact, by the middle of this century, almost 7 billion people will face water stress or scarcity conditions. And as this image illustrates, the U.S. global water footprint is enormous. U.S. citizens use more freshwater to produce goods and services for our more than 300 million people than most other nations in the world combined! Water for Humans works closely with NGOs, government entities, and health organizations worldwide to help ensure that clean drinking water will be available for our children, our grandchildren, and for many generations to come.

You can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

[This image was made available by www.WaterFootprint.org and the WWF]

The Human Cost of Overlooking Water and Sanitation: Interview with Kate Norgrove, WaterAid

The human toll of dirty water and lack of access to safe drinking water for more than 1.2 billion people, and poor water sanitation practices for nearly 2.6 billion people, are enormous. In this March 2010 interview with Kate Norgrove, Head of Campaigns WaterAid, she points out how the critical water sanitation issue is an essential part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). All the other MDGs hinge on successfully addressing the worldwide water crisis! Water for Humans is using sophisticated clean-water solutions technologies to help ensure that under-served populations have access to safe drinking water.

Interview with Kate Norgrove of Campaigns WaterAid – WATCH