U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon issued a stern warning yesterday when he announced that the world is set to run out of drinkable water unless greater efforts are achieved to improve our conservation of the life-sustaining liquid. According to Ban:
“We live in an increasingly water insecure world where demand often outstrips supply and where water quality often fails to meet minimum standards. Under current trends, future demands for water will not be met. Although seemingly abundant, only a tiny amount of the water on our planet is easily available as freshwater.”
Ban noted that variable weather from rapid climate change is making agriculture more difficult while extreme weather events are hindering the procurement and storage of natural water. Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live in areas of physical scarcity, and another half-billion people are rapidly approaching the same situation. Ban pointed out that changes must be implemented immediately.
