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    Report urges world to secure drinking water access

    By LOUISE NORDSTROM - Associated Press | AP – Fri, Aug 26, 2011

    STOCKHOLM (AP) — Investing as little as 0.16 percent of the world's gross domestic product — or $198 billion per year — could give half a billion people regular access to safe drinking water within four years, a U.N. official said Friday.

    That would halve the number of people who risk serious illness and death on a daily basis, the United Nations Environment Program said.

    The findings are presented in the U.N.'s Green Economy report, which also warns that if the global community continues to ignore water services investments, demand for water risks outstripping supply by 40 percent before 2030.

    UNEP spokesman Nick Nuttall said the world total of people without access to safe drinking water currently totals around 1 billion people.

    According to the report, people living in countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are particularly prone to catching waterborne diseases because of the poor water sanitation there.

    "Accelerated investment in water-dependent ecosystems, water infrastructure and water management, coupled with effective policies, can boost water and food security, improve human health and promote economic growth," said U.N. Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

    Prof. Mike Young, lead author of the water chapter of the report, said that "without this investment and policy reform, water supply crises will become increasingly common."

    UNEP said that more water productivity, recycling, new dams and desalination plants could largely help avoid increased drinking water scarcity but that money also needs to be put toward infrastructure, water policy reforms and technologies.

    The findings were presented during this week's World Water Week in Stockholm.

    Its participants also signed a statement urging next year's Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to commit to achieving "universal provisioning of safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and modern energy services by the year 2030." That would include making water safer and more available, reducing water pollution, increasing the quantity of recycled water, and using water more efficiently in energy production, agriculture and the food supply chain.

     

    47 comments

    • Doubter
      Doubter  •  9 mths ago
      What on earth does your personal opinion about the U.N. have to do with the necessity protecting the world's supplies of drinking water? The U.N. has come out strongly against genocide. Does that mean bozos must be for genocide?
    • Herbman
      Herbman  •  9 mths ago
      "Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will they find that money cannot be eaten."
      Cree Indian Prophecy. Those indians where on some good stuff.
    • bungicord
      bungicord  •  9 mths ago
      The earth is a closed eco system, water amounts dont change. Sure We need clean water but this UN garbage is nothing more than a way to exercise more power and control on the free nations.
    • Otter
      Otter  •  9 mths ago
      H2o, water is life its self without it we are nothing the earths surface is covered by 80 percent , it is something that most of us take for granted and expect it to be fresh when we turn on the tap, but someday soon it will dry up and what then? Mother earth is giving us back the nasty chemicals that we have pushed down her throat and most people seem surprised. The population of the earth grows everyday and we use more of our precious resources with no concern. Take care to preserve and recycle when you can. Remember out bodies are mostly made up of water. Thanks for reading this and God bless us all.
    • Napaman71
      Napaman71  •  9 mths ago
      The UN does not speak for me!!!!!
    • Kat
      Kat  •  9 mths ago
      here's a thought... don't use your water as a toilet
    • Edwin Reardon
      Edwin Reardon  •  9 mths ago
      Then they will want better food, electricity and gasoline. Leave em the way they are. The world is overpopulated anyways.
    • Duane
      Duane  •  9 mths ago
      Eventually water will be more valuable than oil, good thing America has alot of fresh water.
      • Tina
        Tina 9 mths ago
        Yes America has a lot of water, but with the wasteful culture there, it wont last long , washing the car with the hose running for 1 hour, taking 45 minute showers etc, you need to learn how to conserve better.
    • Frank
      Frank  •  9 mths ago
      Not our problem -- the UN is run by morons.
    • law 55
      law 55  •  9 mths ago
      The mexicans drink there water. They have some of the worse and yet there fine and multiplying
      • The Divine Immortal
        The Divine Immortal 9 mths ago
        I hope you wrote your sentence knowing your errors , although why you would do so eludes me . Okay < I am not your English teacher but you seriously need to slow down and THINK . You could spell mexicans , Mexicans , unless you are trying to insult them , like writing obama for Obama . You should spell there in this way in your sentence . THEIR . Man , it gets fun , worse should be worst , and then there's " there " again and in this case it should be THEY'RE . It is a masterpiece . You have managed to submit more errors than sentences , making you a candidate for the Hall Of Shame .
        You have four mistakes in two sentences , which when combined with the
        Law 55 computer identity , makes me think you are a lawyer . I will not even count the fact that you think they are fine ( Mexicans ) as an argument against safe drinking water .
      • The Divine Immortal
        The Divine Immortal 9 mths ago
        There is a great thing called Teatro Del Agua , it gathers moisture from the air around areas with abundant water , the salt is already left behind ,so no desalinization is needed .
        We should be using this available technology !
    • Bill
      Bill  •  9 mths ago
      THERE IS a guarantee or entitlement of basic necessities in this Country it's called Rainwater Harvesting. Get it before its so polluted that it needs a Corporate Special Interest to profit from their pollution/purification systems. The Greedy think they have control, and you'll have to pay for it from here on out in one way or another. Become your own Water Authority today! Many other countries have already. Some USA states/cities even subsidize home/business owners it collect their own clean water, (much cleaner than what initially enters a municipal Water Authority.
    • Washington
      Washington  •  9 mths ago
      F**K the UN
    • Vol
      Vol  •  9 mths ago
      Canada become World largest exporter of fresh water
    • Wilson
      Wilson  •  9 mths ago
      Maybe Michigan finally found a way to dig itself out of the democrat designed economy up there. Sell H2O.
      • Vol
        Vol 9 mths ago
        not psbl. all polluted by republicans and T-bagers
    • Tina
      Tina  •  9 mths ago
      ( which also warns that if the global community continues to ignore water services investments ) Japan built clean water systems in Africa to supply 100,000 people drinking water daily, the locals then took the systems apart and sold it for scrap metal. Then they asked Japan to build it again, here was Japan's reply ( enjoy drinking mud now ). They know when enough is enough and when to stop aid.
      • The Divine Immortal
        The Divine Immortal 9 mths ago
        There may been a few out of 100 000 that did this , I do not think that many people were involved in the theft of scrap metal . It may have been hard to protect . It is sad that so many had to suffer because a few idiots did this .Japan tried to do a good thing and one can hardly blame them for declining round two , but one wonders why they did not show these people how to do this for themselves , but then where is the funding and level of expertise needed to undertake such a project ? I don't like giving up , these things seem to happen , I also hear about
        donated famine food being sold instead of being given to famine victims .
        I guess we figure out where and how to help and that is the best we can do .
    • spanky
      spanky  •  9 mths ago
      we are the idiots who gladly spend $2 on a bottle of smartwater when we can just contribute that on our monthly water bill to get the best quality public drinking water!
    • Toothpick
      Toothpick  •  9 mths ago
      Look! I seriously feel for people that don't have safe water to drink, however, the places in the world that have the problem simply refuse to progress. Even the most premitive societies in history were capable of managing this issue.
    • LarryW
      LarryW  •  9 mths ago
      You think Oil can start wars, wait until clean water becomes a commodity.
    • vincent
      vincent  •  9 mths ago
      Could be the new planet that appeared out of nowhere...Be warned people get out of LA and the coast of the world!
    • Fred Jenson
      Fred Jenson  •  9 mths ago
      u could give the ignorant savages billions a year in support but they will still live like its the third century
      • JoeS
        JoeS 9 mths ago
        I know... I've driven through Mississippi.
      • Bill
        Bill 9 mths ago
        Visit OperationSafeDrinkingWater dot org, It doesn't cost that much, and they don't want to live on Perrier, drive SUV's or have obnoxously huge 3000sq ft homes and suck on Oil. Nothing ignorant about that if the can have a smile on their face.
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