Statement by “UN Water” on World Water Day 2010

... the UN has warned that the situation in drought-stricken Somalia is deteriorating, and that almost all regions of the south could face famine.(BBC News 3 Sept 2011).

A statement from the UN emploring the global community to come together and address long-term water solutions world-wide:

Clean, safe, and adequate freshwater is vital to the survival of all living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems, communities and economies. But the quality of the world’s water is increasingly threatened as human populations grow, industrial and agricultural activities expand, and as climate change threatens to alter the global hydrologic cycle …

Every day, millions of tons of inadequately treated sewage and industrial and agricultural wastes are poured into the world’s waters … Every year, more people die from the consequences of unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war … Water contamination weakens or destroys natural ecosystems that support human health, food production, and biodiversity … Most polluted freshwater ends up in the oceans, damaging coastal areas and fisheries …

There is an urgent need for the global community –– both public and private sectors –– to join together to take on the challenge of protecting and improving the quality of water in our rivers, lakes, aquifers, and taps.

– From Statement by “UN Water” on World Water Day 2010