Water shortage to affect 25% of children by 2040

On the occasion of World Water Day, it is fitting that we truly understand the magnitude of the problem with regard to the water crisis around the world. This issue is going to worsen over the coming decades, and although the problem will certainly affect certain regions more than others, there is no doubt that a global crisis is in the making. The report by UNICEF highlighted some core factors causing the crisis and possible ways to tackle the issue.

The future is dry

According to the UNICEF report, one out of four Children will face a water shortage over the next two decades. This roughly translates to 600 million children who will soon be born into areas with improper resources in place to provide them with clean, running water. The crisis is already reaching dangerous levels around the world, with over 36 countries already battling the stress created by lack of water.

The report also highlighted several troubling facts that need to be addressed immediately. Nearly a thousand children under the age of five are passing away each day due to lack of proper sanitation facilities and off-shoot health issues like diarrhea.

It is also evident while observing the findings of the UNICEF report that things are going to get a lot worse for under-developed countries around the world. A staggering 1.4 million children are facing an “imminent risk of death” due to famine in countries like Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria. Another 9 million people in Ethiopia alone will face major water related problems sometime this year. It is clear that the problems are only escalating with each passing day, and this trend is bound to continue and multiply over the coming decades.

Cause and effect

There are many reasons behind the continued rise of water shortage around the world, the most impactful being rising temperatures due to global warming.

This has caused unseasonal draughts in numerous countries, and most of these draught-hit areas are completely unprepared for the problems.

Very little action is being taken to battle this issue, despite the World Economic Forum already naming the water crisis as the biggest global risk last year. There are many things that can be done to prevent the issues from escalating any further, and according to a recent UN report, tackling the mismanagement of waste water alone could solve many problems.