The most precious natural resource in the world isn’t oil or gold; it’s water. Life cannot be sustained without water. But, in spite of 75% of the earth being covered by water, the amount of fresh water available for human use is incredibly small. And even that minuscule amount is not distributed evenly around the globe.
The World Water Council says that more than 1.1 billion people (more than 16% of the world’s population) lack access to safe drinking water and another 2.6 billion people live in conditions that are far from sanitary because of lack of water. The World Health Organization in 2004 reported that 3900 children die every day from water borne diseases.
These numbers are expected to rise dramatically in coming decades because of population growth, urbanization and industrialization.
Click on the following headlines to access two articles that provide insight into growing international awareness and cooperation focusing on solving water scarcities.
— “Israel plunges into water technology,” by Michael Barajas, Associated Press
— “California taps Australia’s expertise in coping and drought,” by Janet Zimmerman, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
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