Water is a natural resource, essential for life on Earth. It plays a part in all our daily activities, necessary for eating, washing and drinking, but also for social and technological activities. Water scarcity and pollution, however, mean that millions of people lack access to this most necessary of resources.
Over two billion people experience high water stress, while four billion suffer from a serious shortage of water at least for at least one month of the year, according to the 2019 United Nations World Water Development Report.
And the climate crisis is making the situation worse. There is less and less water available and this has become one of the main worries of international organizations. For this reason, the UN’s Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 attempts to guarantee the availability of water and its sustainable management, as well as adequate sanitation for everyone.
“Over two billion people experience high water stress”
Responsible water use is fundamental. But before we talk about solutions, what are the problems that endanger such a precious resource?
What is water pollution?
Water pollution occurs when toxic substances, often chemical products or microorganisms, pollute a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer or other body of water, degrading its quality and effectively poisoning it for humans and the environment.
This degradation in water quality translates directly into environmental, social and economic problems.