GENEVA, Sept 16 (KUNA) -- A Public forum hosted by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) said on Thursday that by 2025, one in two people will suffer from a lack of fresh water. "Population growth, uncontrolled urbanisation, migration, and climate change will place greater demands on the planet's water resources, making water security one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century" said the SDC experts.
"Today, one billion people have no access to drinking water, 2.6 billion are deprived of basic sanitation. Every day 5,000 children die as a direct result of a lack of clean water and adequate hygiene facilities," According to the available Data from the UN organisations and NGO's concerned with this problem.
"Society in general also suffers from the knock-on effects of this situation, which further perpetuate the vicious circle of poverty. Improved water access will lead to a better quality of life and better health, mitigate the risk of conflict, facilitate the access of women to education, raise disposable income, reduce the time households spend fetching water, and shore up food security," assured the Swiss experts. "Water is key to ending poverty", declared the SDC Director-General Ambassador Martin Dahinden. "We need to intensify our efforts if we are to mitigate the impending threat of a global water crisis".
In light of ever more complex problems and the looming threat of a global water crisis, Julia Bucknall from the "Water" department of the World Bank called for more investment: "Here, bilateral fund donors like Switzerland and multilateral organisations like the World Bank have a vital role to play". Switzerland has a very good experience in this field. Between 2003 and 2008, nearly 2 million more people gained access to drinking water and basic sanitation, and some 150,000 smallholders acquired more efficient irrigation systems thanks to the joint efforts of the SDC and the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO). Switzerland has also developed a strong working partnership with the World Bank and has a permanent seat on its Board of Directors. Over the last 10 years, the WB has financed or improved access to drinking water and sanitation for over 100 million people living in poor countries. Through their work, the World Bank (WB) and Switzerland have succeeded in putting sanitation on the international agenda. (end) ta.mt KUNA 161321 Sep 10NNNN