In 2015, the world will agree on how we want to shape our sustainable future. And for this future to happen we need water and sanitation
Humanity
Needs Water
A
drop of water is flexible. A drop of water is powerful.
A drop of water is in demand.
Water is at the core of sustainable development.
Water resources, and the range of services they provide, underpin poverty
reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability. From food and
energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to
improvements in social well-being and inclusive growth, affecting the
livelihoods of billionsA drop of water is in demand.
Water
is health
Clean
hands can save your life.
Water is essential to human health.
The human body can last weeks without food, but only days without water. Water
is essential to our survival. Regular handwashing, is for example one of the
best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs
to others. Up to one trillion germs can live in one gram of poop.
As for the human body, in average it
is made of 50-65% water. Babies have the highest percentage of water;
newborns are 78% water. Every day, every person needs access to water for
drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. Water is essential for sanitation
facilities that do not compromise health or dignity. The World Health
Organization recommends 7.5 liters per capita per day will meet the
requirements of most people under most conditions. A higher quantity of about
20 liters per capita per day will take care of basic hygiene needs and basic
food hygiene.
Despite impressive gains made over
the last decade, 748 million people do not have access to an improved source of
drinking water and 2.5 billion do not use an improved sanitation facility.
Investments in water and sanitation services result in substantial economic
gains. The return on investment of attaining universal access to improved
sanitation has been estimated at 5.5 to 1, whereas for universal access of
improved drinking-water sources the ration is estimated to be 2 to 1.To cover every
person worldwide with safe water and sanitation is estimated to cost US$ 107
billion a year over a five-year period.
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Water
is nature
Ecosystems
lie at the heart of the
global water cycle.
global water cycle.
Ecosystems – including, for example,
forests, wetlands and grassland – lie at the heart of the global water cycle.
All freshwater ultimately depends on the continued healthy functioning of
ecosystems, and recognizing the water cycle is essential to achieving
sustainable water management. Yet most economic models do not value the
essential services provided by freshwater ecosystems. This leads to
unsustainable use of water resources and ecosystem degradation. For example,
the Okavango river in Africa is one of the last unspoilt ecosystems on earth.
Pollution from untreated residential and industrial wastewater and agricultural
run-off also weakens the capacity of ecosystem to provide water-related
services.
There is a need to shift towards
environmentally sustainable economic policies that take account of the
interconnection between ecological systems. One challenge is to maintain a
beneficial mix between built and natural infrastructure and provision of their
respective services.
Economic arguments can make the
preservation of ecosystems relevant to decision-makers and planners. Ecosystem
valuation demonstrates that benefits far exceed costs of water-related
investments in ecosystem conservation. Valuation is also important in assessing
trade-offs in ecosystem conservation, and can be used to better inform
development plans. Adoption of ‘ecosystem-based management’ is key to ensuring
water long-term sustainability.
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Water
is urbanization
Every
week, one million people
move into cities.
move into cities.
Today, one in two people on the
planet live in a city. And the world's cities are growing at an exceptional
rate – 4 people moved to cities in the time it took you to read this sentence.
93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries, and nearly 40%
of the world's urban expansion is growing slums. Projections show that another
2.5 billion people will move to urban centres by 2050.
The 2014 report of “World
Urbanization Prospects” by UN DESA’s Population Division notes that the largest
urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria.
“Managing urban areas has become one
of the most important development challenges of the 21st century. Our success
or failure in building sustainable cities will be a major factor in the success
of the post-2015 UN development agenda,” said John Wilmoth, Director of UN
DESA’s Population Division.
Thousands of kilometres of pipes
make up each city’s water infrastructure. Many antiquated systems waste more
freshwater than they deliver. In many fast-growing cities (small and
medium-sized cities with populations of less than 500,000), wastewater
infrastructure is non-existent, inadequate or outdated.
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Water
is industry
More
water is used to manufacture
a car than to fill a swimming pool.
a car than to fill a swimming pool.
Every manufactured product requires
water. Some industries are more water-intense than others. 10 litres of water
are used to make one sheet of paper. 91 litres are used to make 500 grams of
plastic.
Industrialization can drive
development by increasing productivity, jobs and income. It can provide
opportunities for gender equality and youth employment. However, industry’s
priority is to maximize production rather than water efficiency and
conservation.
Global water demand for
manufacturing is expected to increase by 400% from 2000 to 2050, which is much
larger than other sectors. The main increases will be in emerging economies and
developing countries. Many large corporations have made considerable progress
in evaluating and reducing their water use and that of their supply chains.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are faced with similar water
challenges on a smaller scale.
The business case for water
efficiency frequently requires a financial trade-off. Investment in efficient
water treatment technology or cooling processes may have longer payback periods
than the immediate returns of alternative short-term investment in
production.
Technology and smart planning reduce
the use of water, and can improve the quality of wastewater. Some progressive
textile manufacturers have introduced technology that ensures the water coming
out of the mill is as clean or cleaner than the water coming in from the town's
drinking water. Large beverage companies are also improving their water use
efficiency and have over the past 10 year substantially reduced the water used
in their manufacturing plants.
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Water
is energy
Water
and energy are inseparable
friends.
friends.
Water and energy are natural
partners. Water is required to generate energy. Energy is required to deliver
water.
Today over 80% of power generation
is by thermal electricity. Water is heated to create steam to drive electrical
generators. Billions of gallons of water are also needed for cooling. This
requires limiting construction and use of the least efficient coal-fired power
plants. Worldwide hydropower accounts for 16% of global electricity production
- an expected 3700 major dams may more than double the total electricity
capacity of hydropower within the next two decades.
New energy production should use
widely adopting dry-cooling or highly efficient closed-loop cooling
technologies. Using alternative water sources, such as sea or wastewater,
offers a great potential for reducing the pressures on freshwater resources.
Renewable energy comes from
resources which are naturally replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides,
waves and geothermal heat. These do not require large quantities of fresh
water. Yet at today’s rate of adoption, renewable energy will remain marginal
at the global scale.
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Water
is food
To
produce two steaks you need
15 000 liters of water.
15 000 liters of water.
Each American uses 7,500 litres of
water per day—mostly for food. One litre of water is needed to irrigate one
calorie food. Inefficient water use can mean 100 litres are used to produce one
calorie. Irrigation takes up to 90% of water withdrawn in some developing
countries. Globally, agriculture is the largest user of water, accounting for
70% of total withdrawal.
By 2050, agriculture will need to
produce 60% more food globally, and 100% more in developing countries.
Economic growth and individual
wealth are shifting diets from predominantly starch-based to meat and dairy,
which require more water. Producing 1 kilo rice, for example, requires about
3,500 litres of water, while 1 kilo of beef some 15,000 litres. This shift in
diet is the greatest to impact on water consumption over the past 30 years, and
is likely to continue well into the middle of the twenty-first century.
The current growth rates of
agricultural demands on the world’s freshwater resources are unsustainable.
Inefficient use of water for crop production depletes aquifers, reduces river
flows, degrades wildlife habitats, and has caused salinization of 20% of the
global irrigated land area. To increase efficiency in the use of water,
agriculture can reduce water losses and, most importantly, increase crop
productivity with respect to water.
With increased intensive
agriculture, water pollution may worsen. Experience from high income countries
shows that a combination of incentives, including more stringent regulation,
enforcement and well-targeted subsidies, can help reduce water pollution.
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Water
is equality
Every
day women spend 200 million
hours carrying water.
hours carrying water.
In developing nations the
responsibility for collecting water every day falls disproportionately on women
and girls. On average women in these regions spend 25 percent of their day
collecting water for their families. This is time not spent working at an
income-generating job, caring for family or attending school. Investments in
water and sanitation show substantial economic gains. Every dollar invested
shows a return between US$5 and US$28.
Climate change negatively impacts
fresh water sources. Current projections show that freshwater-related risks
rise significantly with increasing greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating
competition for water among all uses and users, affecting regional water,
energy and food securities. Combined with increased demands for water, this
will create huge challenges for water resources management.
Natural hazards are inevitable but
much can be done to reduce the high number of death and destruction tolls.
Ill-advised human activity can both create and accelerate the impact of
water-related disasters. These water threats have been increasing with climate
change and human activities, in the North and South of our planet, from East to
West. But, with preparedness and planning, fatalities and destruction can be
decreased. The global community has committed itself to the principles of
coherent disaster prevention and response. The need is now for concrete and
significant changes to make this happen.
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