By External Source
Oct 12 2023 (IPS-Partners)
Water is essential for life on Earth.
It makes up 50% of our human bodies.
It covers about 70% of the planet’s surface.
It is the foundation of our food.
But only 2.5% of this planetary resource is fresh water.
This is the only water suitable for drinking and agriculture.
72% of global freshwater withdrawals are tied to agriculture.
But like all natural resources, our fresh water supply is limited.
Rapid population growth, urbanization and climate change put water resources under increasing stress.
Freshwater resources per person have declined by 20% over the past decades.
Water availability and quality are deteriorating fast.
Poor management, over extraction of groundwater, pollution and climate change exacerbate this.
Around 600 million people who depend on aquatic food systems are suffering from the effects.
We are stretching this resource to a point of no return.
Right now, 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries.
Many are smallholder farmers who already struggle to meet their daily needs.
Women, Indigenous Peoples, migrants and refugees are particularly impacted.
Competition for this priceless resource continues to grow.
And water scarcity is now an ever-increasing cause of conflict.
It’s time to start managing water wisely.
We need to produce food and agricultural commodities with less water.
We need to ensure that water is distributed equally.
And we need to preserve aquatic food systems so that nobody is left behind.