Milestones of Global Water Crisis
Milestones of the global water crisis – world
(Reproduced for study purposes)
Amazing progress has been made in making clean drinking water accessible to 2.6 billion people in developing countries from 1990 to 2015. Yet there are still many opportunities to multiply the benefits of clean water through improved sanitation and hygiene education.
The United Nations recognizes the importance of addressing the global water crisis each year on World Water Day, March 22.
Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water. Without clean, easily accessible water, families and communities are locked in poverty for generations. Children drop out of school and parents struggle to make a living.
Women and children are worst affected — children because they are more vulnerable to diseases of dirty water and women and girls because they often bear the burden of carrying water for their families for an estimated 200 million hours each day.
Access to clean water changes everything; it’s a stepping-stone to development. When people gain access to clean water, they are better able to practice good hygiene and sanitation. Children enjoy good health and are more likely to attend school. Parents put aside their worries about water-related diseases and lack of access to clean water. Instead, they can water crops and livestock and diversify their incomes. Communities no longer vie for rights to a waterhole.
1700s to
1800s:
Industrialization leads to increased urbanization in England, highlighting the need for clean water supplies and sanitation.
1800s: Water shortages first appear in historical
records.
1854: Dr. John Snow discovers the
link between water and the spread of cholera during an outbreak in London.
1866: In the United States, there are
136 public water systems; by the turn of the century, there are 3,000.
1900: Since 1900, more than 11
billion people have died from drought, and drought has affected more than 2 billion
people.
1972: The U.S. Clean Water Act updates 1948 legislation to control
water pollution and funds construction of sewage treatment plants.
1993: The U.N. General Assembly
designates March 22 as World Water Day.
2000: The U.N. member states set Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for development
progress, including a 2015 target to halve the number of people without
sustainable access to safe drinking water.
2003: UN-Water was founded as
coordinating platform for issues of sanitation and fresh water access.
2005: Thirty-five percent of the
global population experiences chronic water shortages, up from 9 percent in
1960.
2005 to
2015: U.N.
member states prioritize water and sanitation development during International
Decade for Action “Water for Life.”
2008: The U.N.-recognized
International Year of Sanitation prioritizes health and dignity.
2010: The MDGs clean water access
target is achieved five years ahead of schedule. More than 2 billion people
have gained access to safe drinking water since 1990. The U.N. General
Assembly recognizes the right of each person to have adequate supplies of water
for personal and domestic use that are physically accessible, equitably
distributed, safe, and affordable.
2013: The U.N. designates Nov. 19 as World Toilet Day to highlight the global issue
that billions of people still do not have access to proper sanitation.
2015: About 2.6 billion people have
gained access to clean water in last 25 years, and about 1.4
billion gained basic access to sanitation since 2000. The U.N. member states
sign on to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—successors to the MDGs,
that promise clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.
2018: Worldwide, 2.1 billion people
still live without safe drinking water in their homes and more than 1 billion
people still have no choice but to defecate outside
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