Africa: What is the Global Water Crisis About?

opinion

Accra — This year?s celebration of World Water Day on Sunday, March 22nd 2009, by the international community is the 16th since 1992, when it was instituted by the United Nations at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The purpose of the Day?s celebration is to draw global attention to the looming water crisis and the need for collaborative measures to address the problem. But what is this crisis all about? Ama Kudom-Agyemang writes.

The water crisis revolves around the fact that about half of the world?s population lacks access to safe water. UN reports say that currently, about two billion people are dy?ng for water and one person in six, lives without regular access to safe drinking water. And yet water is life and central to all human existence - a fact recognised by all peoples irrespective of tribe, race, colour, or nationality. Water sustains human life and the environment. It connects people, cultures and economies. Water is indispensable for all economic and social development, food security ? thus playing a vital role in the fight against poverty and hunger. Water is also essential to achieve the Millennieum Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed development goals.

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