UN regards access to water as basic development goal

BEIRUT, July 24 (KUNA) -- Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in, says a recent UN report.
There is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. But due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, every year millions of people, most of them children, die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene, said the report released by United Nations Information Centre in Beirut (UNIC Beirut).
Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world, it added.
Drought afflicts some of the world's poorest countries, worsening hunger and malnutrition, according to the report.
By 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water, it indicated.
At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is fecally contaminated, while 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines, it pointed out.
Hydropower is the most important and widely-used renewable source of energy and as of 2011, represented 16 percent of total electricity production worldwide, the report showed.
The State of Kuwait, for instance, suffers a sharp scarcity of natural water resources, and is considered one of the countries that suffer most from sever weather conditions. Its sole and limited natural water resource is subterranean water.
Kuwait has exerted great efforts over recent decades to boost its water resources in order to face water scarcity and meet contemporary development requirements.
UNIC Beirut is one of 63 offices around the world that constitute branch offices of the UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI) in New York.
It serves Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Kuwait, and works closely with the UN family in Lebanon. (end) wsm.mt