Facing a global water crisis

Facing a global water crisis

By Sadaf Sundas Riaz 

Water is essential for human well

Water is essential for human well-being, energy and food production, healthy ecosystems, gender equality, poverty reduction and more.

But we are currently facing a global water crisis. Billions of people around the world still lack access to water. It is estimated that more than 800,000 people die each year from diseases directly attributed to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene practices.

Demands for this precious resource continue to rise: about four billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month of the year. With water being so crucial to many aspects of life, it is important to ensure its protection and proper management to ensure that everyone has equitable access to this essential resource by 2030.

Critical situation in South Asia

Around four billion people 

Almost half of the Earth's population – already face "high" water stress for at least one month a year. According to the analysis by WRI and Aqueduct, which examined data series from 1979 to 2019, this number could rise to almost 60% as early as 2050. "High" stress means that at least 60% of available water resources are consumed, leading to local competition between different water users. Shortages are set to intensify without a serious proactive policy response.

Twenty-five countries are already under "extremely high" stress, defined as a situation where the imbalance between water consumption and reserves is at least 80%. Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon and Oman are the most vulnerable, with Chile, Greece and Tunisia also appearing high on the list. In South Asia, 74% of the population is exposed to extremely high water stress. In the Middle East and North Africa, 83% of the population is affected. Modeling indicates that 100% of people in those regions could be affected by 2050.