Global Water Crisis: Estimated 2.1b Lack Safe Drinking Water

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Globally, 2.1 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, and 4.5 billion people have no adequate facility for safely managed sanitation services, said Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) Chairman Dr Muhammad Ashraf.

While talking at an event organised to mark World Water Day on Thursday, Dr Ashraf stated that people are more vulnerable to contracting waterborne diseases when they lack access to clean drinking water. A collective effort is required in order to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IWMI Country Representative Dr Mohsin Hafeez highlighted that water security is a significant concern and that it has been further accelerated as a result of the major climate change occurrences, adding that it is still very difficult to provide the underprivileged community with equitable and sustainable access to water.

The purpose of World Water Day is to create awareness on water-related issues, said UNESCO Country Director Dr Youssef Filali-Meknassi.

Implications of Climate Change

UNICEF Deputy Representative Dr Inoussa Kabore said that for all living things, water is essential. All people have a fundamental right to access secure WASH facilities. He informed me that the rapid population growth has raised the demand for water.

Dr Kabore stated that the recent severe floods had a bad impact on the communities and that the government was falling behind in fulfilling its WASH targets, so more aggressive efforts were required to catch up. He added that climate change has made the situation even more precarious.

The Deputy Representative stated that this year’s theme is very crucial, and globally, we are lagging behind in providing safe and clean drinking water to deprived communities. Therefore, strong collaborative and holistic efforts are inevitable.

Financial implications of Unsafe water quality

Source: ‘Drinking Water Quality in Pakistan Current Status and Challenges’ Report

Local Context

According to a PCRWR report, the water quality profile of the country when compared with the National Standards for Drinking Water Quality showed that out of total 435 sources, 168 (39 per cent) sources were safe, whereas 267 (61 per cent) sources were unsafe for drinking.

Comparison of current status of safe water (39 per cent in 2020) with 31 per cent in 2015 reveals slow paced drinking water quality improvement in the country. Consuming 61 per cent of the unsafe waters may pose serious public health risk due to waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis, skeletal and dental fluorosis, methemoglobinemia, and cancer.