Water resources are sharply decreasing around the world. On January 20, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) published a new report about this.
According to the report, over the last 50 years, 410 million hectares of wetlands have been lost. Large lakes are shrinking, and some rivers during certain periods of the year do not reach the sea. The most worrying thing is that nearly 70 percent of groundwater reserves are in a state of steady decline.
Climate change is also worsening the situation: since 1970, more than 30 percent of glaciers have disappeared. This is leading to a reduction of water sources used by hundreds of millions of people. Excessive use of water, pollution, and the disruption of ecological balance have brought many water systems to a level that cannot be restored.
According to forecasts, by 2030:
— about 2 billion people will continue to live without safely managed drinking water;
— 700 million people may be forced to migrate due to water scarcity;
— global demand for fresh water will exceed available capacity by 40 percent.
The report also notes that by 2030, water scarcity in Uzbekistan may reach 7 billion cubic meters, and the country may enter the group of 33 water-scarce states.
The authors proposed using the term “water bankruptcy” instead of “water crisis,” as it more accurately describes the situation. That is, the problem is not temporary — in some regions, water systems have reached a threshold where they cannot recover.
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