Access to freshwater is unevenly distributed across the globe, with more than two billion people live in countries with significant water stress.[1] Populations in developing countries attempt to access potable water from a variety of sources, such as groundwater, aquifers, or surface waters, which can be easily contaminated.
Countries in dry regions like the Middle East and North Africa deal with water supply issues to begin with due to their climate. These regions will continued to be hurt by climate change in the coming years and are expected to see a decline of 4-16 percent in their GDP due to potential water scarcity. [2]
According to UN-Water, by 2025 1.8 billion people will be living in areas across the globe with complete water scarcity. Food security and agriculture will be a sector that will severely be affected by water scarcity because it uses about 70% of the world's freshwater. [3]
There are some serious health effects that are linked to contaminated water. Around 240 million people suffer from schistosomiasis which occurs because of parasitic worms that may be contracted through drinking infested waters. [4]
Freshwater access is also constrained by insufficient wastewater and sewage treatment. Progress has been made over recent decades to improve water access, but billions still live in conditions with very limited access to consistent and clean drinking water.
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edit- ^ "Water Scarcity | Threats | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ^ Hofste, Rutger Willem; Reig, Paul; Schleifer, Leah (2019-08-06). "17 Countries, Home to One-Quarter of the World's Population, Face Extremely High Water Stress".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Canada, Global Affairs (2017-06-12). "Water in developing countries". GAC. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ "Water". WHO | Regional Office for Africa. Retrieved 2021-10-23.