Water sources are getting scarce due to climate change and global warming. Similarly, water resources are getting polluted day by day due to human activities. Water pollution is standing as a biggest challenge for the developing countries. Poor countries of the world are bearing human and financial loss due to water pollution.
According to the report made public by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 23, about 4,000 people die in the world everyday due to waterborne diseases. It has warned that about 1.6 million people in the world may die this year due to unsafe drinking water if the governments do not make immediate efforts of proper water treatment.
A statistics has shown that about 40 children in Eastern Europe die every day due to diarrhoeal diseases. About 16 per cent Europeans are deprived of safe drinking water. Human Development Report of the United Nations has stated that 2 million children die in the world every year due to unsafe drinking water. The report has also stated that child death rate will decrease by 50 per cent if safe drinking water is made easily accessible to all. The United Nations report has stated that the poor countries are getting poorer due to many diseases caused by unsafe water. The report has stated that about 1 billion people will be the victims of malnutrition by 2080 due to water pollution.
According to the Asian Development Bank, 700 million people of Asia do not have access to safe drinking water. In the present condition when 1 billion 25 million people in the world are deprived of safe water supply and 2 billion 50 million of basic sanitation, there is possibility for the occurrence of next world war for water. Considering the present condition, the Millennium Development Goal to decrease the world population without access to drinking water facility by half within 2015 has reached the stage of not achieving the goal.
In the context of Nepal, about 13,000 children in Nepal die every year due to different diseases caused by water pollution. A study has shown that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nepal will decrease by 4.1 due to investments in controlling waterborne diseases and human loss caused by water pollution. There is acute shortage of dinking water in Nepal which is regarded as the second richest country in terms of water resources. The consumers of cities including Kathmandu are facing acute drinking water shortage.
Climate experts have warned that water sources will dry up within some years as the glaciers are melting rapidly due to increasing emission of greenhouse gases. The countries that are dependent on the Himalayan water sources for domestic use and irrigation are vulnerable to world climate change. The scientists have warned that some countries of the world will be without water in the next 30 to 50 years if the glaciers keep on melting rapidly. Therefore, all should be aware to conserve the existing water resources.
This article was originally published by Kul Chandra Aaryal in Nepal Samacharpatra, Aug 17, 2008
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