By 2025 1.8 bln people to suffer water scarcity, UN

By 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity.

This is stated in a UN press release on the occasion of the World Water Day which is celebrated today.

Under the theme ''Shared Waters–Shared Opportunities,'' this year's commemoration highlights the need for cooperation between countries and regions to ensure adequate supply of freshwater.

According to the press release, a study shows that most countries favor cooperation over conflict.

“In 60 years, there have been nearly 300 international water agreements and only 37 cases of reported violence between states over water. But many countries are facing, or will face, a scarcity of freshwater”, it adds.

Moreover, it is stated that water availability is also linked to climate change.

“Melting glaciers in watershed regions, changing precipitation patterns, prolonged drought or more intense rainfall, which can often be traced to climate change, will have a profound impact on future freshwater supplies”, the press release says.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.