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“The global water crisis is not just coming, it is here, and climate change will only make it worse”, – Executive Director Henrietta Fore
March 23, 2021: According to a new analysis released by UNICEF, more than 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children worldwide, live in areas of high or extremely high vulnerability to water. This means that one in five children in the world do not have enough water to meet their daily needs.
Analysis, part of the Water security for all initiative, identifies areas where the risks of physical water scarcity overlap with poor water service levels. Communities living in these areas depend on surface water, unimproved springs, or water that can take more than 30 minutes to collect.
“Children are the biggest victims. When the wells dry up, it is the children who miss school to fetch water. When droughts reduce food supplies, children suffer from malnutrition and stunted growth. When floods hit, children get sick from water-borne diseases. resources are dwindling, children cannot wash their hands to fight disease. ”
In Ghana, 1 in 5 children are exposed to high / extremely high vulnerability to water and around 4 in 5 people may drink water contaminated with fecal matter at the point of use.
Children in 37 countries face particularly dire circumstances. In such cases, global resources, support and urgent action must be mobilized. This list includes Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger and Nigeria. The total percentage of children in a situation of high / extremely high vulnerability in the most affected countries is 93%, 92% and 91% respectively for Afghanistan, Kenya and Burkina Faso, compared to 21% in Ghana.
The demand for water continues to increase dramatically while resources are dwindling. In addition to rapid population growth, urbanization, misuse and mismanagement of water, climate change and extreme weather events are reducing the available amounts of drinking water, exacerbating water stress. According to a 2017 UNICEF report, nearly one in four children worldwide will live in areas of extremely high water stress by 2040.
While the impact of water scarcity can be felt by everyone, no one suffers more than the most vulnerable children. Children and families living in vulnerable communities face the double-edged sword of dealing with high levels of water scarcity while having the lowest water services, making access to a sufficient water particularly vulnerable to climatic shocks and extreme events.
In response, UNICEF is launching the Water security for all initiative to ensure that every child has access to sustainable and climate-resilient water services. The initiative aims to mobilize resources, partnerships, innovation and a global response to identified hotspots where the need for safe, resilient and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services is greatest and greatest. more urgent.
UNICEF strives to provide:
- Safe and affordable drinking water services: Access to safe and affordable water services that are sustainable, close to you and professionally managed.
- Climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services and communities: Water, sanitation and hygiene services that are resilient to climate shocks, operate using low-carbon energy sources, and strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacities of communities.
- Early action to avoid water scarcity: Resource assessments, sustainable water withdrawal, efficient use, early warning and early prevention measures.
- Cooperation in the field of water for peace and stability:Support to communities and key stakeholders so that equitable management of water, sanitation and hygiene services increases social cohesion, political stability and peace; and in conflict zones to prevent attacks on water and sanitation infrastructure and personnel.
“We need to act now both to tackle the water crisis and to prevent it from getting worse,” Fore said. “We can only ensure water security for every child through innovation, investment and collaboration, and by ensuring that services are sustainable and resilient. to climatic shocks. For our children and our planet, we must act. ”
* Countries designated as “hot spots” meet one of the following criteria: at least 60% of children live in areas with high vulnerability to water; at least 40% of children live in areas extremely vulnerable to water; at least 40% of children live in high and extremely high vulnerability to water; and at least 2 million children in high and extremely high water vulnerability. These various factors ensure that even the smallest countries with high percentages of children affected are also given priority.
Water shortage: Water scarcity exists when demand for water exceeds supply and available water resources approach or have exceeded sustainable limits. Water scarcity can be physical or economic.
Water stress: Water stress is the result of water scarcity and refers to the scarcity in terms of water quality and accessibility. Water stress can manifest itself in conflicts over water resources, overexploitation or poor health and disease.
Extreme vulnerability to water: Extreme vulnerability to water is the combination of upperlevels of physical water scarcity and the lowest drinking water service levels that affect a given population (surface water, unimproved or limited water service).
Water safety: The ability of a population to ensure sustainable access to adequate quantities and to water of acceptable quality to support livelihoods, human well-being and socio-economic development, to ensure protection against pollution of water-borne and water-related disasters, and to preserve ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability. Water insecurity occurs when one or all of these needs cannot be met.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s most difficult places to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for all.
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