UN: One in four people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water, community must manage supply and sanitation | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Globally, 26% of the population (roughly 1 in 4 people in the world) do not have safe drinking water and 46% (3.6 billion) lack access to safely managed sanitation, said the UN World Water Development report, released on the World Water Day on Wednesday.
Though this is not a country-specific report, several other reports from India have pointed out the severity of the crisis in certain areas. With 1,486 cubic meters of annual per capita availability, India is already water stressed as annual per capita water availability of less than 1,700 cubic meters is considered water stressed condition, whereas annual per-capita water availability below 1,000 cubic meters is treated as a water scarce situation. In the business-as-usual scenario, India will turn into a water scare nation in the next three decades.

Flagging the global data on safe water availability and some other worrisome facts on state of fresh water in the world, the annual report, released by the UNESCO and the UN-Water, warned that the water shortages will worsen in the coming decades, especially in cities, if international cooperation in this area is not boosted. It also spoke at length on the importance of managing water by local communities across the globe.
The report also flagged that two and three billion people globally experience water shortages for at least one month per year, posing severe risks to livelihoods, notably through food security and access to electricity.
“The global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to double from 930 million in 2016 to 1.7–2.4billion people in 2050. The growing incidence of extreme and prolonged droughts is also stressing ecosystems, with dire consequences for both plant and animal species,” it said.
Underlining that nearly every water-related intervention involves some kind of cooperation, the report noted that providing safe and affordable water to cities and rural areas is only possible through management of water-supply and sanitation systems through community.
This aspect is also being experimented in India which is primarily a groundwater dependent country.
“Groundwater being a decentralised resource, requires decentralised management and governance. It should be best managed by local community for both rainwater harvesting for enhancing groundwater recharge and then decide community as a whole on cropping, efficiency measures in water use, ensure its equitable distribution and prioritise its use depending on quantum of groundwater availability,” said India’s former water secretary Shashi Shekhar.
He emphasised on empowering the community with scientific knowledge by advising them appropriate locations for rainwater harvesting measures, seamless transfer of information by installing piezometers in observation wells at every 1×1 sq. km on water availability post monsoon etc. for them to take informed decisions. “Such efforts will go a long way in achieving water use sustainability and water security,” Shekhar told TOI.
On the issue of international cooperation for resolving water issues, the UN report noted with concerns that managing
rivers and aquifers crossing international borders makes matters all the more complex. “While cooperation over transboundary basins and aquifers has been shown to deliver many benefits beyond water security, including opening additional diplomatic channels, only 6 of the world’s 468 internationally shared aquifers are subject to a formal cooperative agreement,” it said.
“There is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiraling out of control. Water is our common future and it is essential to act together to share it equitably and manage it sustainably,” said the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.