The United Nations’ World Water Development Report 2023 has warned that one-third to nearly one-half of the global urban population could face water scarcity in 2050, with India among the worst-affected countries. will be one of the
The report was presented on Tuesday, just a day before the start of the ‘first major UN conference on the state of water in 45 years’. As of 2020, 26 percent of the world’s population, or about two billion people, lacked access to safely managed drinking water services, and an estimated 46 percent, or about 3.6 billion people, lacked access to safely managed sanitation. Was.
Referring to the United Nations campaign to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030, the report said the world will not be able to meet this goal if countries continue on the current path.
The global urban population facing water scarcity is estimated to increase from 933 million in 2016 (one-third of the global urban population) to 1.7–2.4 billion in 2050 (almost half of the global urban population), with India is projected to be most severely affected in terms of growth in the urban population (increase of 153–422 million people) most affected by the shortage.
