WATER and sanitation security are increasingly an issue that needs to be addressed around the world as scarcity grows due to multiple factors.

The United Nations has established the sustainable development goal initiative of clean water and sanitation. The agenda promises to achieve its core principles of equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.
 
Is this vision feasible when the Middle East and Africa has the greatest expected economic losses from climate-related water scarcity, estimated at 6–14% of GDP, by 2050? More than five billion people could suffer water shortages by 2050 due to climate change, increased demand and polluted supplies, according to a UN report

Scarcity remains the main hindrance to access to clean water and sanitary products and facilities. 

Around the world up to 443 million school days are lost every year because of water-related illnesses. (Human Development Report, 2006).  

According to projections in 2015, most nations severely improved their water accessibility in greater than 90% of their households. This marks significant progress since 1990 when accessibility in most countries across Latin America, East and South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa were often well below 90%. Access remains lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, where rates typically range from 40 to 80% of households. 

The global reservoir of water accessibility is still at a shameful 35%, according to world data. 

The World Health Organization’s Water Safety Plan aims to strengthen socio-political awareness in communities with regards to water sanitation with the use of regulatory policy. The measures that have been taken, however, requires new plans to tackle the issue of economic unpredictability, specifically following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Disrupted supply chains have brought the world closer to a recession. This potentially depreciates the efforts of worldwide institutions to improve the water sanitation.. The second issue that requires circumvention rests upon the leaders of global current affairs and geopolitics concerning clean water supply and universal nourishment. There is an evident denigration of water infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle-Eastern and Central Asian countries despite worldwide interference, exacerbated by nation-to-nation conflict. This is worsened by the absence of adequate supportive governance to sustain advancements in water storage, distribution and sanitary facilities. There must be an increased international effort to mediate conflicts and provide aid in these regions to ensure access to clean water and sanitation.

Widespread poverty and degradation will result if clean water and sanitation grow increasingly scarce. According to Unesco, interstate conflicts over clean water occur mainly in the Middle East (disputes stemming from the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers among Turkey, Syria, and Iraq; and the Jordan River conflict among Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and the State of Palestine), in Africa (Nile River-related conflicts among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan), as well as in Central Asia (the Aral Sea conflict among Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). 

In an age where global power dynamics are significantly shifting, there must be concentrated focus on diplomatically solving the issue of water security.

Recently, the World Water Council urged countries across the globe  to ensure accessibility to clean water and sanitation for all. Among of the biggest challenges are the harmful pollutants and chemicals that denigrate water infrastructure. This also contributes to the development of water-borne diseases. A significant shift is needed to assist poor nations .

The latest statistics from the Global Water Security 2023 assessment show three in four people currently live in water-insecure countries and that more people die from a lack of safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services than water-related disasters.

The study said many nations are facing “critical levels” of water insecurity. While the study showed Malaysia to be “water-secure”, the issue of water insecurity worldwide is burdening a plethora of nations, which could pose a significant threat to global progress. These nations also lack the necessary apparatus and infrastructure to accommodate rural communities’ access to clean water. Newfound efforts to strengthen the development of these nations, spearheaded by the international community, must be considered and implemented via international coordination.

The future of water security is replete with challenges and the international community must swiftly develop solutions to tackle the issue. – April 12, 2023.

* Pravin Periasamy reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.