World Water Day 2012

Sufficient good-quality water is key to the health and well-being of humans and ecosystems and an essential ingredient for socio-economic development. It is estimated that fresh water will become an increasingly scarce resource in the coming years. The theme for World Water Day 2012 (March 22nd) is “water and food security”. With 7 billion inhabitants on the planet, and another 2 billion expected by 2050, the task of feeding everyone requires global initiatives.  Data from the WWDR shows that the demand for food will increase by approximately 70%, leading to an increase of at least 19% in the water required for agriculture, which already accounts for 70% of freshwater use. Improving water resource management, increasing access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and promoting hygiene can improve the quality of life of billions of individuals, as well as reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and cut the incidence of waterborne diseases. In addition, this year there will be an UN conference on sustainable development (Rio +20) to be held in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, (20-22 June), which aims to address the problem of unsustainable use of fresh water and provide a new momentum to better manage the world’s freshwater resources.

For further information, http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/