Water crisis to become catastrophe tomorrow

Islamabad : Pakistan stands fifth among the top 10 countries in the world that have most improved in providing water access – by number, since 2000. Pakistan provided access to more than 44 million people since year 2000. China tops the list with provision to water to 334 million people followed by India, Indonesia, and Nigeria.

On the other hand, among the top 10 countries with lowest access to clean water close to home – by population, Pakistan is ranked 9th with around 21 million people without access to clean water close to home. India tops the list with 163 million people followed by Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, DRC, Indonesia, Tanzania, Uganda, Pakistan and Kenya.

The statistics made part of the “State of the World’s Water Report 2018: The Water Gap” released by WaterAid on the occasion of World Water Day. World water day is an annual observance day on March 22 to highlight the importance of fresh water. The day is also used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The Water Gap – The State of the World’s Water 2018 reveals the countries where people are struggling most for clean water, highlights those countries that have made the most progress, and calls upon the world’s governments to address the injustice of the water crisis.

The report says that one in nine people around the world do not have access to clean water close to home, and 60 per cent of the world’s population lives in areas of water stress, where the water supply cannot or will not continue to meet demand.

Afghanistan topped the list of top 10 countries most improved in access to water -- by percentage. Afghanistan improved the access to water by 35.8 per cent since 2000. Eritrea topped the list of countries with lowest access to water by percentage with only 19 per cent of population having access to the basic facility.

The report says that the 2018 may well be remembered as the year when one of the world’s great tourist destinations Cape Town ran out of water. It says that long queues and limited water supplies are already happening in many other countries reminding us of the need for better and fairer management of Earth’s water supply. “Already more than 60 per cent of humanity lives in areas of water stress, where the supply of water cannot or will not continue to meet demand. If water is not managed more prudently – from source, to tap, and back to source – the crisis observed today will become the catastrophes of tomorrow,” says the report. The State of the World’s Water reveals that the number of people defined as without clean water close to home has gone up.