New York, March 21 – A United Nations-led conference will tackle the global water crisis as billions of people still lack access to safe water and an estimated over 800,000 people died each year from diseases directly tied to unsafe water and poor hygiene practices.

While calling on governments and civil society worldwide to attend the 2023 U.N. Water Conference, March 22-24 at UN headquarters in New York, the U.N. said the water crisis is threatening sustainable development, biodiversity and people’s access to water and sanitation. The last such conference was held 46 years ago.

Studies carried out in past decades by universities and responsible organizations showed that over half of the world population are concerned about fresh water shortages and the link between climate change and drought. The water crisis is derailing efforts and progress in providing universal access to safe water and sanitation by 2030.

“Water supports all aspects of life on earth, and access to safe and clean water is a basic human right,” the U.N. said. “However, decades of mismanagement and misuse have intensified water stress, threatening the many aspects of life that depend on this crucial resource.”

The most recent State of the Climate Services on Water report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said floods have increased by 134 per cent and the duration of droughts has increased by 29 per cent since 2000.

Conference participants are called to agree on a Water Action Agenda that will specify urgent actions to deal with the crisis and achieve one of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is universal access by people to safe water and sustainable management of water and sanitation by all by 2030. The Conference will feature five “interactive dialogues” to strengthen and accelerate action for key water areas, as reported by U.N. News.

The five interactive dialogues are::1.Water for Health: Access to safe drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation, 2.Water for Sustainable Development: Valuing Water, Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Sustainable Economic and Urban Development., 4.Water for Cooperation: Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, Cross Sectoral Cooperation and Water Across the 2030 Agenda, 5.Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan.

Global survey: 58 per cent percent of people are seriously concerned about fresh water shortages

A new research from GlobeScan highlights the global impact of worsening water shortages which are disrupting societies, economies, the environment, and every aspect of life as we know it.

Fifty-eight per cent of people across the world are very concerned about fresh water shortages, while 30 per cent say they have personally been “greatly” impacted by a lack of fresh water. 

Additionally, climate change is strongly connected to water shortages, with nearly four in ten people who have been personally affected by climate change saying they experienced it through drought. Together with Circle of Blue and WWF, GlobeScan released these key water findings from its GlobeScan Radar Survey ahead of the U.N. Water Conference.

. Key research findings include: Fifty-eight percent of people globally believe that fresh water shortages is a “very serious” issue. Mexicans, Colombians, and Brazilians report the most concern about access to water, while people in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea are the least likely to say fresh water shortages is a “very serious” issue

Strong concern about fresh water shortages has increased over the past few years, from a low of 49 percent in 2014 to 61 percent in 2022 among 17 countries consistently tracked, along with concern about climate change (45% in 2014 to 65% in 2022).

People in Argentina, South Korea, Vietnam, Colombia, Germany, and Peru report the largest increases in concern about water shortages over the past year.

30 percent of people globally claim they are “greatly” personally affected by fresh water shortages, while a global majority feel at least moderately personally affected (56%). Only one-quarter (25%) say they are not affected at all.

Majorities of people surveyed in Colombia, Italy, Mexico, Peru, and Turkey say they are greatly personally affected by a lack of fresh water. In contrast, fewer than one in ten say they are greatly affected in Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands.

Globally, people in urban areas (32%) are more likely than those in rural (28%) or towns and suburban areas (26%) to feel greatly affected by a lack of fresh water.

As many as 38 percent of people say they have been “greatly” personally affected by climate change, while as many as 75 percent have been at least “moderately” affected.  

People who say they have been personally affected by climate change often mention drought as one of the ways they have been impacted; 37 percent of those experiencing climate change personally claim this is through experiencing drought.

“We are seeing a rare convergence, when public opinion is aligning with profound realities as the world faces compounding water challenges that are affecting how we grow our food, generate our power, and support a sustainable economy and environment,” said J. Carl Ganter, Managing Director at Circle of Blue. 

“This survey of some 30,000 people definitively shows that citizens around the world are feeling and talking about the effects of water and climate stress. On the eve of the UN Water Conference, this is a crucial barometer that reveals increasing public demand for action from political and corporate leaders,” Ganter said.

Alexis Morgan, WWF Global Water Stewardship Lead comments: “Water doesn’t come from a tap – it comes from nature. But with nature loss and climate instability increasing, water scarcity will only worsen, impacting societies and economies across the globe. Yet through collaboration, restoring wetlands, re-connecting rivers, and replenishing aquifers, we have proven ways to tackle these shared water challenges. It’s time to urgently invest in these solutions.”

Perrine Bouhana, Director at GlobeScan comments: “It comes as no surprise that people are becoming more and more worried about the availability of fresh water. Last year droughts affected the lives of countless numbers of people on every continent. Indicators suggest this is likely to get worse. High levels of public concern about water means there is an opportunity right now for governments and NGOs to help people and businesses understand how their actions can genuinely make a difference to this globally important problem that affects all of us.”

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