Question

What do you think about the concern that we may someday fight over water? Are we seeing evidence this is already happening today? How does access to water and clean drinking water impact human health?

Answer 1

Now a days water problem is a big issue. We concern about that=

Scarcitv of freshwater is an increasingly critical public health problem in many parts of the world. World leaders, lncluding Unitec Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon, have urged that this issue be given high priority. Inadequate access to safe freshwater contributes to waterborne disease, malnutritiorn, poverty, economic and political instability, and conflict-potentially violent conflict-between countries or groups within countries.

Approximately 97.5% of all water is either salt water or water that has become polluted. Of the remaining 2.5%, nearly 70% is frozen in glaciers and the polar ice caps. Less than 0.01% of all water worldwide is available for human use in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and easily accessible aquifers.

About three fifths of water flowing in all rivers is shared by two or more countries-in 263 river basins in 145 countries, where two fifths of the world's population lives.1 As a result, many countries are highly dependent on water resources that originate from outside their national territory For example, 34% of water resources in India and 76% of water resources in Pakistan originate from outside these countries.2 As another example, the Nile River Basin is shared by 11 countries that are mutually dependent for their water resources.

Major underlying conflict reason include=

(1) low rainfall, inadequate water supply, and dependency on one major water source; (2) higłh population growth and rapid urbanization; (3) modernization and industrlalization, and (4) a history of armed combat and poor relations between countries and among groups within countries. Water scarcity alone, however, is nfrequently the cause of armed conflict over water. Immediately precipitating causes include sociopolitical tensions, disputes over dams, reservoirs, and other large- scale projects; and disputes

TODAY EVIDENCE =

DISPUTE OVER NEIL BASIN

The Nile basin features significant conflict over access to and rights over the Nile water resources among its eleven riparian countries. The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), founded by 9 out of 10 riparian countries in 1999 with backing from major donor institutions, has achieved some successes in its attempts to strengthen cooperation. Yet, since 2007, diverging interests between upstream and downstream countries have brought negotiations to a standstill, pitting Egypt (and, to a lesser extent, Sudan) against upstream riparians, especially Ethiopia. In 2015, trilateral negotiations between these countries over a major dam under construction in Ethiopia led to a framework agreement that may, in time, prepare the ground for a broader agreement.

IN YEMEN=

Water Shortages and Public Discontent in Yemen As a consequence of severe mismanagement, Yemen's water availability is declining dramatically. The impacts on the people are unequally distributed, and corruption and nepotism are at the core of this imbalance. This has increasingly frustrated the disadvantaged, with water scarcity playing a role in fuelling the political and security crisis in Yemen.

CLEAN DINKING IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH=

Safe water supplies, hygienic sanitation and good water management are fundamental to global health. Almost one tenth of the global disease burden could be prevented by: increasing access to safe drinking water, improving sanitation and hygiene; and improving water management to reduce risks of water-borne infectious diseases, and accidental drowning during recreation. Annually, safer water could prevent: 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhoea; 500 000 deaths from malaria; 860 000 child deaths from malnutrition; and 280 000 deaths from drowning In addition, 5 million people can be protected from being seriously incapacitated from lymphatic filariasis and another 5 million from trachoma.

Recommended measures Efforts to improve water, sanitation and hygiene interact with each other to boost overall health. Access to sanitation, such as simple latrines in communities, prevents drinking water contamination from human waste and reduces infections. High-tech public health measures are not necessarily the best: frequent hand- washing with soap and safe storage of drinking water are high-impact practices. Environmental management effectively lowers the rates of malaria and other diseases spread by insects and prevents death. These measures include eliminating habitats- such as standing water - for breeding, and screening doors and windows for protection from mosquitoes. Economic benefits Investment to improve drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and water resource management systems makes strong economic sense: every dollar invested leads to up to eight dollars in benefits. US$ 84 billion a year could be regained from the yearly investment of US$ 11.3 billion needed to meet the water and sanitation targets under the Millennium Development Goals. In addition to the value of saved human lives, other benefits include higher economic productivity, more education, and health-care savings.