India likely to be severely affected by water scarcity says UN

According to a major UN research released on Tuesday, India is predicted to be the country most badly impacted by the projected increase in the number of urban dwellers who would face water scarcity from 933 million in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion by 2050.

Before to the UN 2023 Water Conference, the United Nations released the Global Water Development Report 2023: Partnerships and Cooperation for Water, which said that 80% of people who experienced water stress resided in Asia, particularly northeast China, India, and Pakistan. India is expected to be the country most severely impacted, with the global urban population facing water scarcity projected to rise from 933 million (one third of the global urban population) in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion people (one third to nearly half of the global urban population) in 2050, the report said, citing data. Strong international institutions must be set up immediately to stop the world’s water problem from getting out of hand, according to Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO. Water is our shared future; thus, it is crucial that we work together to manage it responsibly and distribute it fairly. The survey showed that 3.6 billion people worldwide lack access to securely managed sanitary facilities, and two billion people do not have access to safe drinking water.