This forum is committed to informing and educating our visitors to this site of the life threatening problem involving dramatically declining supplies of pure, safe, delicious water which is affecting nearly every living man, woman and child around the globe; what experts label as the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century -

AND the noble investment opportunities that most disasters reveal disguised in the desperate needs of affected people.

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 http://water.org/FileUploads/H2OCrisisFactSheet08.pd

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 "The scarcity at the heart of the global water crisis is rooted in power, poverty and inequality..."

UNDP, 2006

http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/wbp/global-water-crisis/441

Global Water Crisis Overview

Paul Alois, April 2007

Water, simply put, makes the existence of the human race on this planet possible. With few exceptions, water has always been a natural resource that people take for granted. Today, the situation has changed.

The World Bank reports that 80 countries now have water shortages and 2 billion people lack access to clean water.[1] More disturbingly, the World Health Organization has reported that 1 billion people lack enough water to simply meet their basic needs.[2]

Population growth and groundwater depletion present the two most significant dangers to global water stability. In the last century, the human population has increased from 1.7 billion people to 6.6 billion people, while the total amount of potable water has slightly decreased.[3] Much of the population growth and economic development experienced in the last fifty years has been supported by subterranean water reserves called groundwater. These nonrenewable reserves, an absolutely essential aspect of the modern world, are being consumed at an unsustainable rate.

1. The Present Supply and Usage of Water

Humanity has approximately 11 trillion cubic meters of freshwater at its disposal.[4] Groundwater aquifers contain over 95% of this water, while rain, rivers, and lakes make up the remaining 5%.[5] Approximately 1,700 m3 of water exists for every person on the planet, an alarming low number. According to the Water Stress Index, a region with less than 1,700 m3 per capita is considered “water stressed”.[6]

The global supply is not distributed evenly around the planet, nor is water equally available at all times throughout the year. Many areas of the world have seriously inadequate access to water, and many places with high annual averages experience alternating seasons of drought and monsoons. (Graph 1 shows water availability per person within a country.)

Water usage differs highly between developing countries and developed ones. Developing countries use 90% of their water for agriculture, 5% for industry, and 5% for urban areas. Developed countries use 45% of their water for agriculture, 45% for industry, and 10% for urban areas.[7]

In the last century water usage per person doubled, even as the total population tripled,[8] creating a situation today where many areas of the world are consuming water at an unsustainable rate. (Graph 2 highlights in red all the areas where water is being consumed at a nonrenewable rate.)

2. Increasing Demand

The agricultural sector, by far the largest consumer of freshwater resources, accounts for 70% global consumption.[9] Irrigation consumes most of the water in the agricultural sector, and has become an integral part of modern civilization because of access to groundwater aquifers. Once farmers were freed from relying on rain to water their crops, highly efficient commercial farming became increasingly common. This innovation also underpinned the Green Revolution, which dramatically increased crop production throughout the third world in the 1960s.[10] Unfortunately, water is being drawn from many of these aquifers faster than it is being replaced.

The industrial sector accounts for 22% of global water consumption;[11] this number will grow in the coming decades as the developing world industrializes. The needs of industry tend to take precedence over agriculture for simple economic reasons. 1,000 tons of water will produce 1 ton of wheat, which is worth $200. 1,000 tons of water in the industrial sector, however, will generate $14,000 worth of goods. On a per ton basis, industry creates 70 times more wealth.[12] Despite its economic benefits, intense water use by industry has led to serious pollution that is beginning to create problems worldwide.

The residential sector uses the remaining 8% of the total water supply. Although this sector only accounts for a small percentage of overall use, it always takes precedence over industry and agriculture. In the last fifty years the world’s urban population has exploded, and by 2010 50% of the people on the planet will live in cities.[13] In addition to the simple increase in population, per person consumption of water has risen. As more people begin utilizing modern luxuries like flush toilets, showers, and washing machines, the demand created by the residential sector will increase dramatically.

3. Water Pollution

The companion of modernization has always been pollution. In developing countries that are just entering the industrial age, water pollution presents a serious problem. According to United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), “in developing countries, rivers downstream from major cities are little cleaner than open sewers”. The UNEP also reports that 1.2 billion people are being affected by polluted water, and that dirty water contributes to 15 million child deaths every year.[14] In recent years, scientists have become aware of the problems involved with the contamination of groundwater. Aquifers move very slowly, so once they are polluted it takes decades or centuries for them to cleanse themselves.

Food production contributes significantly to water contamination. When nitrogen fertilizer is applied to a field, the water runoff will contain excess amounts of nitrates. Nitrates have been shown to have a very harmful effect on plant and animal life,[15] can cause miscarriages, and can harm infant development.[16] The industrial livestock business also presents a serious danger to water systems. The disposal of vast amounts of animal feces destroys nearby ecosystems and is very hazardous to humans.[17]

Water pollution is reaching epic proportions. In the U.S. 40% of rivers and lakes are considered too polluted to support normal activities.[18] In China 80% of the rivers are so polluted that fish cannot survive in them.[19] In Japan 30% of groundwater has been contaminated by industrial pollution.[20] The Ganges River, which supports around 500 million people, is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world. And the list goes on…

4. Food Scarcity

According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), if current water consumption trends continue, by 2025 the agricultural sector will experience serious water shortages. The IFPRI estimates that crop losses due to water scarcity could be as high as 350 million metric tons per year, slightly more than the entire crop yield of the U.S.[21] This massive water crisis will be caused by water contamination, diverting water for industrial purposes, and the depletion of aquifers. Climate change may also play a part. The Himalayan glaciers, which feed the rivers that support billions of people, are shrinking in size every year.[22] Their disappearance would cause a major humanitarian disaster.

The greatest danger to global food security comes from aquifer depletion. Aquifers are an essential source of water for food production, and they are being overdrawn in the western U.S., northern Iran, north-central China, India, Mexico, Australia, and numerous other locations.[23] Additionally, many aquifers are contaminated each year by pollution and seawater intrusion.

Despite their importance, data on underground water reservoirs remains imprecise. There is little evidence regarding how many aquifers actually exist, and the depth of known aquifers is often a mystery. However, it is clear that water from these sources takes centuries to replenish, and that they are being consumed at a highly unsustainable rate.

5. International Conflict

According to the UNEP, there are 263 rivers in the world that either cross or mark international boundaries. The basins fed by these rivers account for 60% of the world’s above ground freshwater.[24] Of these 263 rivers, 158 have no international legislation, and many are the source of conflict.

Water has always been a central issue in Arab-Israeli situation. Ariel Sharon once said the Six Days War actually began the day that Israel stopped Syria from diverting the Jordan River in 1964.[25] Decades later, the Egyptian military came close to staging a coup against Egyptian president Anwar Sedat, who had proposed diverting some of the Nile’s water to Israel as part of a peace plan.

The Nile River, which runs through Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, exemplifies the potential for future water conflicts. The banks of the Nile River support one of most densely populated areas on the planet. In the next fifty years the number of people dependant on the Nile could double, creating a serious water crisis in the region.[26] The Nile is not governed by any multilateral treaties, and Egypt would not shrink from using military strength to guarantee its future access to water.

The potential for water conflicts are less likely outside the Middle East, but never the less there are many problematic areas. The Mekong River is the lifeblood of South East Asia, but it begins in one of the most water poor countries on Earth: China. The Indus River separates Pakistan and India, and aquifer depletion by Indian farmers has one of the highest rates in the world.[27] U.S.-Mexican relations are already strained over water use on their mutual border.[28] The Niger River basin in West-Central Africa runs through five countries. Surging populations coupled with decreasing rainfall in the region seriously threaten water security for millions of people.[29]

Although the specter of international water wars can seem very real, in the last 50 years there have only been 7 conflicts over water outside the Middle East.[30] While a global water crisis has the potential to tear international relations at the seams, it also has the potential to force the global community into a new spirit of cooperation.

6. Solutions

The oceans contain 97% of the world’s water. Desalination technology transforms the vast amount of salt water in the Earth’s oceans into freshwater fit for human consumption. There are approximately 7,500 desalination plants in the world, 60% of which are in the Middle East.[31] The global desalination industry has a capacity of approximately 28 million m3, less than 1% of global demand. Desalination is an expensive and energy intensive technology, and currently only wealthy countries with serious water shortages consider it a viable option. However, a recent innovation using nanotechnology has the potential to decrease the cost of desalination by 75%, making it a more viable option.[32]

While irrigation accounts for approximately one third of all global water consumption, numerous studies have shown that approximately half of the water used in irrigation is lost through evaporation or seepage.[33] Drip irrigation technology offers a far more water-efficient way of farming. Drip irrigation techniques involve using a series of pipes to distribute water in a very controlled manner. By using this method farmers have the ability to give their crops the exact amount of water needed. Despite its many benefits, drip irrigation is not being widely implemented. While the technology is not sophisticated or expensive, it is beyond the means of the poorest farmers who need it most. It is also not being used by many farmers in water-rich countries because the potential savings are less than the cost of implementing the technology.

In many countries water shortages are exacerbated or even caused by governmental mismanagement, political infighting, and outright corruption. International organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO) often suggest that privatization of water management services would alleviate many of these problems. It has been shown that privatizing utilities frequently increases efficiency, innovation, and maintenance. However, privatization rarely has an effect on corruption, and often disadvantages the poor.[34]

Other technical solutions like rainwater capture, water-free toilets, and water reclamation offer people the possibility of effective conservation. Market-oriented solutions such as water tariffs, pricing groundwater, and increasing fines against industries that pollute could be adopted. There are also a number of viable trade solutions. Freshwater could be traded internationally by using pipelines and enormous plastic bags.[35] Despite this plethora of potential solutions, there is no substitute for simply consuming less.

7. Conclusion

In the coming decades, water crises will likely become increasingly common. If the population continues to grow at a rate of 1 billion people every 15 years, the Earth’s capacity to support human life will be severely strained. Population growth notwithstanding, the current supply of water is being degraded by pollution, overdrawing, and climate change. It is not too late to guarantee a safe supply of water for everyone alive today and for all future generations; although to do so would require an unprecedented level of international cooperation, trust, and compassion.

This article may be reprinted or copied for noncommercial purposes as long as proper citation standards are observed.

 [1] http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/awr/dec99/Feature2.htm

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1724375,00.html

The Staff of Life
Water, Earth's most precious resource, serves simultaneously as habitat, nourishment and cleanser. Brazil's Pantanal River, for example, is home to 3,500 species of plants, 400 kinds of fish, 650 bird species, 100 kinds of mammals and 80 types of reptiles. It is not only a vital waterway for man, but an essential filter for the impurities he leaves behind.

Source
Underground aquifers, dozens of miles deep and hundreds of miles wide, are the Earth's second-largest reserve of fresh water, after ice caps and glaciers. Filled over billions of years, they are today being drained at two to four times their natural recharge rate. In this photo, a team of recreational spelunkers drop into the 160-foot deep Neversink Pit in Alabama, which local cavers have bought to preserve for future generations.

Sacred Bath
Shamans in Ecuador perform a soul-cleansing ritual at Peguche Falls during the Inti Raymi fiesta, an ancient Incan celebration of the sun. It is believed that water gives a person power to work and the courage to dance for the fiesta.

Dried Up Seabed
The Aral Sea has lost two-thirds of its volume because its source rivers were diverted for cotton irrigation during the Soviet era. Once the fourth-largest lake in the world, it is now a dusty graveyard of rusting shipwrecks.

Digging Deep
More than two billion people worldwide rely on wells for their water. As water tables continue to drop, many of them, like these Kenyan villagers on Pate Island, devote countless hours to collecting and hauling the valuable resource. The pits in this photo, taken less than 300 feet from the ocean's edge, yield a brackish, but drinkable water.

Short Supply
Residents of a slum in a Delhi, India scramble for the water that is delivered to them daily. The camp is home to approximately 4,000 migrant workers, but lacks a clean water supply, so the workers are dependent on public and private trucks to bring it to them.

Yuck
Students of Miyun elementary school in Beijing discover the dirty condition of a water sample taken from their local reservoir. Twenty-five to thirty-three percent of Chinese do not have access to safe drinking water.

Fishing Holes
Ice fishermen work their lines on Russia's Ural River, in the shadow of Lenin Steelworks. Worried that the fish are too contaminated to eat, many of these winter anglers send their catch to distant markets for sale.

Pipeline
Because water in Mumbai, India is prohibitively expensive, many residents of this slum rely on leaks found — or created — in the massive tubes that carry water to more affluent neighborhoods. The poor of the city avoid the garbage and human waster surrounding their dwellings by walking on top of the pipelines.

Factory Filth
Wastewater from the state-owned Lianhua MSG Factory in China's Huai River Basin runs out of a pipe. Lianhua, which means "lotus flower" is largest polluter in the region.

Dirty Water
Foul-smelling water mixed with coal had been running from Kenny Stroud's faucet for more than a decade before clean tap water was finally provided by the city of Rawl, West Virginia. Residents of the town with similar problems blame Massey Energy, a coal mining company for the bad water, saying that the problem, caused by the company's practice of dumping coal slurry into local streams and waterways, has caused numerous health problems. In 2007, Massey settled a $30 million lawsuit filed by the state.

Desalination
Spain's drive to develop its southern coast for tourism has required it to tap the Mediterranean Sea for fresh water. The country's 700 desalination plants produce 800 million gallons yearly.

Filtration
Two Sudanese boys drink with specially fitted plastic tubes provided by the Carter Center to guard against the water-borne larvae which are responsible for guinea worm disease. The program has distributed millions of tubes and has reduced the spread of this debilitating disease by 70 percent.

Outhouses
The waters of the Niger River Delta are used for defecating, bathing, fishing and garbage. Despite the fact that oil companies have removed more than $400 billion of wealth out of the wetland, local residents have little to show for it.

Toilet Solution
Children in developing countries are afraid of using outhouses and the like because they are dark and smelly and they fear falling into the hole. For this school in India, WaterAid, a British NGO dedicated to delivering safe domestic water, provided funding to build child-friendly toilets.

Research and Development
Engineers work at Caroma, an Australian company that is developing improved low-flow toilets. Their product uses only three-quarters of a gallon of water to flush, compared with standard low-flow toilets, which use more than a gallon and a half.

Slow the Melt
The glaciers that provide Europe with drinking water have lost more than half their volume in the last century. In this photo, workers at the Pitztal Glacier ski resort in Austria push a fleece-like blanket down the glacier's slope to protect the snow during the summer months.

Emergency Supply
Chinese soldiers examine bottled water in Harbin after the city's 3.8 million residents lost access to drinking water for five days due to a chemical plant explosion in 2005. The announcement of water stoppages led to panic buying of water and food, sending prices soaring.

Seedling
The low-cost KB Drip system provides small time farmers in India with the ability to channel irrigated water, thus giving them the opportunity to work more efficiently and lift themselves out of poverty. The project was developed by International Development Enterprises, backed by the New York-based Acumen fund, which recruits machine shops to make the materials and enlists local retailers to distribute them, all for a profit.

Ring Around the Well
The Chilukwa Primary School in Malawi provides its students with a sound education, but until recently the school had no running water or bathrooms. The Peer Water Exchange (PWX), a platform for crafting local solutions to specific water problems, helped secure funding for a local organization to build a community tap, latrines and bathing facilities.

Refreshing
Vietnamese children like Tran Quoc Xu, 11, used to spend a significant portion of their day fetching water. Today, a water system funded by the Blue Planet Run Foundation and PWX means that villagers in Dong Lam hamlet need not travel great distances or pay lots of money for their water.

World Water Crisis

In the extraordinary new book Blue Planet Run, hundreds of photographers from all over the world track mankind's vital race to provide safe drinking water to the one billion people who lack it... Presented by TIME in Partnership with CNN

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1724375,00.html

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 Terrorist/Threat Alert Continues  

(From the Virginia Rural Water Association

Latest Information - Posted 4/1/2008)

http://www.vrwa.org/latestterroristnewspage.htm

For water and wastewater systems:

All water and wastewater systems should be on their highest level of alert for any unusual or suspicious activities.  A number of suspicious phone calls, e-mails and people in unusual places have been reported by rural and small systems.  Any unusual activities or suspicious inquiries should be immediately reported to law enforcement authorities.

While an incident may be unlikely in your system, the potential has to be taken seriously.  Systems should assess their operations and enhance the security in all areas.

This high level of alert is expected to extend into the new year.  It is a safety precaution to protect infrastructure and insure the safety of public drinking water supplies and wastewater treatment facilities.

For water system customers:

In this unusual time in our history, we ask for your assistance in helping keep your community safe.  If you see anyone in or around your water or wastewater system that appears suspicious or looks out of place, please report it immediately to your system or the local law enforcement authorities.

Our industry, and indeed the entire country, is on a high level of alert.  While an incident in your area may be unlikely, the potential has to be taken seriously.   Your eyes on your community is a critical preventative measure. 

From the Files of the FBI
Congressional Testimony October 10, 2001		http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress01/rondick100401.htm

"Terrorism: Are America's Water Resources and Environment at Risk"

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UN Highlights World Water Crisis

Hillary Mayell for National Geographic News

June 5, 2003

To more than two billion people, fresh, pure water is more valuable than gold. Water—Two Billion People are Dying for It! is the theme of World Environment Day, an annual event celebrated on June 5—today. "One person in six lives without regular access to safe drinking water; over twice that number—2.4 billion—lack access to adequate sanitation," said Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations. The event is sponsored by the UN to highlight important environmental issues facing the planet. Despite the fact that 75 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh water, and three-quarters of that is locked up in glaciers and permanent snow cover. Only 0.3 percent of the water is surface water, found in rivers and lakes. The rest is buried deep in the ground. In many regions of the world, fresh water, both groundwater and surface water, is being used faster than it can be replaced. West Asia faces the greatest threat. Over 90 per cent of the region's population is experiencing severe water stress. But the problem is not confined to the developing world. In the United States, 400 million cubic meters (520 million cubic yards) of groundwater is being removed from aquifers annually in Arizona; about double the amount being replaced by recharge from rainfall. In Spain, more than half of the nearly 100 aquifers are over-exploited. Already about one-third of the world's population lives in countries suffering from moderate-to-high water stress, according to the most recent Global Environment Outlook (GEO-3) report. Water stress is defined as areas where water consumption is more than 10 percent of renewable freshwater resources. The GEO-3 scientists project that more than half the people in the world could be living in severely water-stressed areas by 2032. Dying for Water When access to water is within one kilometer (0.62 miles) of a dwelling, meaning it would take about 30 minutes a day to collect water, the average consumption is 20 liters (5 gallons) per day per person, according to a 2003 joint report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. In homes with multiple taps, the average daily consumption is 100 to 200 liters (roughly 25 to 50 gallons) per person. If the water source is farther than one kilometer, per capita consumption drops to around five liters (a little more than a gallon) per day, if that. With so little water, basic hygiene is frequently compromised. The report estimates that households getting water from taps may use 30 times more water for child hygiene compared with those who have to collect water from a communal source. This brings the added burden of illness to families already living in poverty. Infectious waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera are responsible for 80 percent of illnesses and deaths in the developing world, many of them children. One child dies every eight seconds from a waterborne disease; 15 million children a year. Women and female children who have to travel to collect water pay a high cost. Less time is available for caring for children, preparing food, or pursuing alternate economic activities. In some regions the women and girls must travel through unsafe areas and are vulnerable to attack. Families in many cases must forego sending their girls to school, perpetuating the grinding cycle of illiteracy and poverty. The amount of water a person needs can vary; a person doing manual labor in the tropics will need more water than someone sitting at a computer in a temperate zone. WHO suggests 2 to 4.5 liters (0.5 to 1 gallon) a day for drinking, and another 4 liters (1 gallon) for cooking and food preparation are the bottom-line limits for survival. This doesn't take into account water needs for growing food. The minimum quantity of water recommended by the U.S. Agency for International Development for household and urban use alone is close to 100 liters (26.4 gallons) per person per day. Mismanagement Not Scarcity "This crisis is one of water governance, essentially caused by the ways in which we mismanage water," conclude the authors of the UN's World Water Development Report (WWDR) issued in March. Freshwater resources are being further squandered due to pollution and the way in which we use water. Some two million tons of waste per day are disposed of within receiving waters, including industrial wastes and chemicals, human waste and agricultural wastes, according to report. World Watch Institute estimates that every minute, 1.1 million liters (300,000 gallons) of raw sewage are dumped into the Ganges River, the primary source of water for many Indians. Only about 35 percent of the wastewater is treated in Asia, and about 14 percent is treated in Latin America. Only a negligible percentage of treatment has been reported in Africa. Even in industrialized countries, sewage is not universally treated, according to UNEP. Agriculture accounts for over 80 per cent of world water consumption, and yet around 60 percent of the water used for irrigation is wasted, lost to leaky canals, evaporation, and mismanagement. Fertilizer and pesticide residues from agricultural activities also contribute to contamination of fresh water resources. In large cities of developing countries, the percentage of unaccounted-for water is also very high, around 40 percent. Most of this water is simply lost to leaky systems. Many of the remedies available for conserving and managing freshwater resources are politically and socially difficult; many rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers cross national boundaries and can be shared by several countries. But water experts are agreed that adopting long term goals is imperative. "The difficulty in managing groundwaters lies in the fact that they are often easy and relatively cheap to tap for large numbers of users," said Brian Morris, principal hydrogeologist at the British Geological Survey. "What is needed is pragmatic management such as increasing public and government awareness, properly resourcing the agencies that manage groundwater, supporting community management, and encouraging the use of incentives and disincentives particularly in poorer countries and rural areas," he said. "It is vital we give groundwater value like any other scarce resource."

 

World water crisis worsened by corruption, repression: UN report

20 February 2006 – Corruption, restricted political rights and limited civil liberties are all factors that lie behind the planet’s growing water crisis, says a new United Nations report that focuses on the precious resource of fresh water.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said today that the second edition of the UN World Water Development Report shows the global water crisis is largely a crisis of governing systems that “determine who gets what water, when and how, and decides who has the right to water and related services.”

The report will be released on 9 March in Mexico City by Gordon Young, Coordinator of the UN World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), and Cristobal Jaime Jazquez, Director-General of the National Water Commission of Mexico.

Entitled “Water, a Share Responsibility,” the report builds on the conclusions of the first water development study published three years ago. It presents a comprehensive picture of freshwater resources in all regions and most countries as it tracks progress towards the water-related targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals. Known collectively as the MDGs, these targets were set at a 2000 UN Summit and aim to reduce major global ills such as poverty, illiteracy and hunger by 2015.

The report examines a variety of key issues, including population growth and increasing urbanization, changing ecosystems, food protection, health, industry and energy. It also looks at risk management and how water is valued and paid for. A set of conclusions and recommendations to guide future actions and encourage the sustainable use and management of the world’s increasing scarce freshwater resources are also included.

The UN World Water Development Report is a joint undertaking of 24 UN agencies in partnership with governments and other stakeholders and is produced on their behalf by the Water Assessment Programme, whose secretariat is hosted by UNESCO.

The second edition will be launched one week before the Fourth World Water Forum that will be held in Mexico City from March 16 to 22. The report will be formally presented by UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.

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 Atlas of a Thirsty Planet

Source:  http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/water/

 

We are grateful to Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security for assistance in collating these data.

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 Energy and Water - The Ignored Link

 http://www.watercrisis.org/waterways/EnergyAndWater_Uexkull.pdf

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 Water Facts

Facts about water, water crisis, drinking water, sanitation, and water-related disease.
Download a PDF verson.
How can you help?

 Drinking Water

 

Each year more than five million people die from water-related disease. (20)

30 percent of water-related deaths are due to diarrhea. (21)

84 percent of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14. (21)

98 percent of water-related deaths occur in the developing world. (21)

For the first time, the number of people without improved drinking water has dropped below one billion. (1)

Less than 1% of the world's fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use. (2)

A person can live weeks without food, but only days without water. (3)

A person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day to survive. (4, 5)

 

The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water at home each day. (6, 7) The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day. (7)

 

 

World Water Coverage. View larger map.

90 percent of all deaths caused by diarrheal diseases are children under 5 years of age, mostly in developing countries. (9)

Sustainable management of water resources and sanitation provides great benefits to a society and the economy as a whole...access to safe drinking water is essential for achieving gender equality, sustainable development and poverty alleviation. (8)

Water systems fail at a rate of 50% or higher. (10,11)

Poor people living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city. (12)

 

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Sanitation

 

2.5 billion people still lack access to improved sanitation, including 1.2 billion people who still have no facilities at all. (1)

The majority of the illness in the world is caused by fecal matter. (13)

At any one time, more than half the poor of the developing world are ill from causes related to hygiene, sanitation and water supply. (13)

Eighty-eight percent of cases of diarrhea worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene. (14)

Numbers of those living on less than US $2 a day: 2.5 billion. Numbers of those without sanitation: 2.6 billion. (9)

 

 

World Sanitation Coverage. View larger map.

2008 is the International Year of Sanitation. Its five key messages are:

1) Sanitation is vital for human health, 2) Sanitation generates economic benefits, 3) Sanitation contributes to dignity and social development, 4) Sanitation helps the environment, and 5) Sanitation is achievable. Visit www.sanitation2008.org. (1)

Lack of sanitation is the world’s biggest cause of infection. (13)

Only 62 percent of the world’s population has access to improved sanitation – that is, a sanitation facility that ensures hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact. (1)

Of the 60 million people added to the world’s towns and cities every year, most occupy impoverished slums and shanty-towns with no facilities. (9)

 

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Impacts on Kids

Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. (15)

Children in poor environments often carry 1000 parasitic worms in their bodies at any time. (9)

For children under age five, water-related diseases are the leading cause of death.   (16)

1.8 million children die each year from diarrhea – 4,900 deaths each day. (12)

 

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Impacts on Women

Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources. (12)

Lack of toilets makes women and girls vulnerable to violence if they are forced to defecate only after nightfall and in secluded areas. Sanitation enhances dignity, privacy and safety, especially for women and girls. Schools with decent toilet facilities enable children, especially girls reaching puberty, to remain in the educational system. (17)

A study by the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) of community water and sanitation projects in 88 communities found that projects designed and run with the full participation of women are more sustainable and effective than those that do not. This supports an earlier World Bank study that found that women’s participation was strongly associated with water and sanitation project effectiveness. (8)

Evidence shows that women are responsible for half of the world’s food production (as opposed to cash crops) and in most developing countries, rural women produce between 60-80 percent of the food. Women also have an important role in establishing sustainable use of resources in small-scale fishing communities, and their knowledge is valuable for managing and protecting watersheds and wetlands. (8)

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Impacts on Health

At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease. (12)

It is estimated that improved sanitation facilities could reduce diarrhea-related deaths in young children by more than one-third. If hygiene promotion is added, such as teaching proper hand washing, deaths could be reduced by two thirds. It would also help accelerate economic and social development in countries where sanitation is a major cause of lost work and school days because of illness. (17)

No intervention has greater overall impact upon national development and public health than the provision of safe drinking water and the proper disposal of human waste.  (18)

Human health improvements are influenced not only by the use of clean water, but also by personal hygiene habits and the use of sanitation facilities. (19)

Close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits. (12)

The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns. (12)

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Impacts on Productivity

Estimated economic benefits of investing in drinking-water and sanitation:

• 272 million school attendance days a year, an added 1.5 billion healthy days for children under five years of age, together representing productivity gains of US $9.9 billion a year (14) 
• Values of deaths averted, based on discounted future earnings, amounting to US $3.6 billion a year (14) 

Every US dollar in sanitation provides and economic return of eight US dollars. – WHO (12) 

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Learn more about the water crisis

• Download the Water Crisis Fact Sheet 
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• Read about the latest developments in the world water crisis in our weekly Crisis Headlines Digest.
• Download Lesson Plans for teachers and children on the water crisis
• Learn about the Water Crisis in the Countries where we work.
• Behind the numbers: Learn about three research calculations that impact WaterPartners work.

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 References

1. UNICEF/WHO. 2008. Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: Special Focus on Sanitation.

2. World Health Organization Fact Sheet Health in Water Resources Development.

3. UC Davis Health System. "Scripts." January 2001.

4. The Sphere Project Handbook Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. 

5. Les Roberts Diminishing standards: How much water do people need? [in Forum: Water and War, International Committee of the Red Cross (1998)].

6.  U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet "Water Q&A: Water Use at Home."

7.  World Resources Institute, 1998-99 and 1996-97. "A Guide to the Global Environment."

8.  UN Water. 2008. Gender, Water and Sanitation: A Policy Brief.

9.  UN Water. 2008. Tackling a Global Crisis: International Year of Sanitation 2008.

10.  The World Bank, 2000. Annual Review of Development Effectiveness.

11. World Health Organization Fact Sheet Sustainability and Optimization of Water Supply and Sanitation Services.

12. 2006 United Nations Human Development Report.

13. Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). 2008. A Guide to Investigating One of the Biggest Scandals of the Last 50 Years. 

14. World Health Organization. 2008. Safer Water, Better Health: Costs, benefits, and sustainability of interventions to protect and promote health.

15. Number estimated from statistics in the 2006 United Nations Human Development Report.

16. World Health Organization. World Health Report 2003.

17. United Nations. 2007.   International Year of Sanitation Global

18.  World Health Organization, Fact Sheet No. 112 - Water and Sanitation.

19.  World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation. Water for Life: Making it Happen 2005

20. Pacific Institute, 2002. Dirty Water: Estimated Deaths from Water-Related Diseases 2000-2020. 

21. WHO, 2008. Safer water, better health.

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The World's Water 2008-2009 Data http://www.worldwater.org/data.html		Table 1: Total Renewable Freshwater Supply, by Country (2006 Update) Table 2: Freshwater Withdrawal, by Country and Sector (2006 Update)   Table 3: Access to Safe Drinking Water, by Country, 1970 to 2004   Table 4: Access to Sanitation by Country, 1970 to 2004       Table 5: MDG Progress on Access to Safe Drinking Water by Region       Table 19: Water Content of Things     Table 20: Top Environmental Concerns of the American Public: Selected Years, 1997–2008

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http://dels.nas.edu/dels/topic.cgi?topic=207

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Curious About Drinking Water But Didn't Know Who To Ask???

http://www.cyber-nook.com/water/index.html

More Informational Resources

These Web sites may be helpful for anyone seeking to learn more about water quality, pollution or how to evaluate or treat their drinking water.

DRINKING WATER

The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water Environmental Protection Agency

Local Drinking Water System Lookup Environmental Protection Agency

Drinking Water and Ground Water Statistics for 2008 (PDF) Environmental Protection Agency

Drinking Water and Ground Water Statistics - 1998-2008 Environmental Protection Agency

An Assessment of Water Quality From Domestic Wells U.S. Geological Survey

A National Assessment of Tap Water Quality The Environmental Working Group

ARSENIC IN DRINKING WATER

Draft assessment on arsenic, raising the toxicity determinations Environmental Protection Agency

Arsenic in Drinking Water, 2001 Update National Academy of Science

A history of rule-making regarding arsenic in drinking water Environmental Protection Agency

Arsenic in Drinking Water and Adult Mortality Epidemiology

STUDIES REGARDING ILLNESSES AND DRINKING WATER

How to Access Local Drinking Water Information Environmental Protection Agency

National Public Water Systems Compliance Report, 1996-Present Environmental Protection Agency

Risk of Waterborne Illness via Drinking Water in the United States National Center for Biotechnology Information

Quality of Water from Domestic Wells in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991–2004 United States Geological Survey

Drinking-Water Herbicide Exposure in Indiana and Prevalence of Small-for-Gestational-Age and Preterm Delivery Environmental Health Perspectives

Health Risk of Bathing in Southern California Coastal Waters Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health

The Association of Drinking Water Source and Chlorination Byproducts with Cancer Incidence Among Postmenopausal Women in Iowa American Journal of Public Health

Cancer and Drinking Water in Louisiana: Colon and Rectum International Journal of Epidemiology

WATER FILTERS

Consumer Guide to Water Filters Natural Resources Defense Council

CHEMICALS AND RISK ASSESSMENTS

Safe Drinking Water Act Standards Environmental Protection Agency

Drinking Water Health Advisories Environmental Protection Agency

Integrated Risk Information System Environmental Protection Agency

Health-Based Screening Levels United States Geological Survey

GOVERNMENT ASSESSMENTS ON TETRACHLOROETHYLENE (PERC), TRICHLOROETHYLENE AND PERCHLORATE

IRIS Assessment of Perchlorate Environmental Protection Agency

Internal Assessment on Tetrachloroethylene in Rats Environmental Protection Agency

Internal Assessment on Tetrachloroethylene: Toxicological Review Environmental Protection Agency

National Academy of Sciences on Tetrachloroethylene National Academy of Sciences

Trichloroethylene: Assessing the Human Health Risks National Academy of Sciences

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 People are talking about water on the blogosphere and the activity is being tracked here -

http://www.blogpulse.com/trend?query1=water&label1=&query2=&label2=&query3=&label3=&days=30&x=27&y=12

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Committed to Taking Responsible Action

 

http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/

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  Committed to Charitable Contributions

 

http://www.water.org/