3.6 Billion People Likely To Face Water Difficulty By 2050: UN's Meteorological Body

The WMO stated that each year for the last 20 years, the levels of water stored on land i.e. water on the surface, in the subsurface, in snow and ice had dropped at a rate of one centimetre.

Representational Image (Source: AFP)

New Delhi: The United Nations warned on Tuesday, that by 2050 more than 3.6 billion people would have difficulty accessing water, and urged leaders to seize the initiative at the COP26 summit. 

“We need to wake up to the looming water crisis,” said WMO chief Petteri Taalas was reported as saying by AFP. 

According to the report in 2018, 3.6 billion people had inadequate access to water for at least one month per year, said a new report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation.

'The State of Climate Services 2021: Water' report comes just weeks before COP26 — the UN Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12.

The WMO stated that each year for the last 20 years, the levels of water stored on land i.e. water on the surface, in the subsurface, in snow and ice had dropped at a rate of one centimetre.

The agency said there were major ramifications for water security, as only 0.5% of the water on Earth is useable and available freshwater.

“Increasing temperatures are resulting in global and regional precipitation changes, leading to shifts in rainfall patterns and agricultural seasons, with a major impact on food security and human health and well-being,” said Taalas was quoted by AFP. Meanwhile water-related hazards have increased in frequency over the past 20 years.

There has been a rise in flood-related disasters since 2000 by 134% when compared to the previous 2 decades. 

“We have seven percent more humidity in the atmosphere because of the current warming and that’s also contributing to the flooding,” Taalas told a press conference according to AFP. Most of the flood-related deaths and economic losses  took place in Asia where the flood stated WMO adding that here river flood warning systems require strengthening.

At the same time, there has been around a 30 percent increase in the amount and duration of drought events since 2000, with Africa the worst-affected continent.

Taalas urged countries at COP26 to raise their game. He said most world leaders were talking about climate change as a major risk to the welfare of mankind, but their actions were not matching their words.

He said the top priority at COP26 was stepping up ambition levels in climate mitigation, but more work was also needed on climate adaptations, as the negative trend in weather patterns will continue for the coming decades — and the coming centuries when it comes to the melting of glaciers and sea levels rising.