Water Stress Poses Greatest Threat to MENA Region

Water In Judean Desert - Credit: BigstockBy Sopho KharaziROME, Mar 15 2018 (IPS)This year, World Water Day, celebrated annually on 22 March, is themed “Nature for Water”, examining nature-based solutions (NBS) to the world’s water problems. The campaign – “The Answer is in Nature” – promotes a sustainable way to normalize the cycle of water, reduce harms of climate change and improve human health through planting trees to replenish forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands.An estimated 2.1 billion people have no access to drinkable water because of the polluted ecosystems affecting quantity and quality of water available for human consumption. At the same time, the number of individuals living in the water-scarce areas equals 1.9 billion and may reach 3 billion by 2050, while about 1.8 billion people drink water coming from an unimproved source which puts them at risk of water-borne diseases. All of these negatively influence human health, education and livelihoods.The most water-scarce region in the world is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) where more than 60% of the population has little or no access to drinkable water and over 70% of the region’s GDP is exposed to high or very high water stress.Water scarcity in MENA involves multiple factors such as climate change leading to droughts and floods, low water quality, and poor water management in the context of fragility, conflict, and violence. This is one of the reasons why a...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - March 15, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Sopho Kharazi Tags: Armed Conflicts Climate Change Combating Desertification and Drought Crime & Justice Education Environment Green Economy Headlines Health Middle East & North Africa Natural Resources TerraViva United Nations Water & Sanitation Source Type: news