By Kevin Githuku
The UN Chief Antonio Guterres has warned that the world’s precious water resources are “in deep trouble”, challenging leaders attending the Global Water Conference to find game-changing solutions to the global water crisis
The three-day meeting which opened on Wednesday is being held at the UN Headquarters this week to address what has become a multifaceted global crisis before it is too late.
UN Secretary-General noted that water is a human right and critical to development that will shape a better global future.
Guterres added that nearly three out of four natural disasters are linked to water, and a quarter of the planet lives without safely managed water services or clean drinking water.
Furthermore, 1.7 billion people lack basic sanitation, half a billion people practice open defecation, and millions of girls spend hours each day just to fetch water.
The event co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Tajikistan falls at the halfway point for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include the promise of ensuring all people have access to safe water and sanitation by 2030.
