New report by Norwegian Church Aid celebrating our 75th Jubilee.
UNSAFE WATER: Habiba Adam Adam drinks unsafe water dug out from a dried up river bed. Photo: Håvard Bjelland/NCA.
Hope In a Drop of Water. The Urgency in Averting A Global Water Crisis. (pdf)
We are facing a global water crisis. If we do not manage the world’s most valuable resource more effectively and equitably, it is estimated that as many as five billion people will be living in areas with insufficient access to safe water in 2050 according to the UN Water report 2022.
Extreme weather with destructive floods, droughts and heat waves are hitting the planet and its inhabitants. Water resources, under and above the ground, must be better managed to adapt to this new normal. For many local communities it is urgent to adapt by better management of water sources, above and below the ground, make use of new agricultural methods, and by regulating against pollution and overuse. We must be able to both deal with the energy crisis, prepare for green transition, and cut emission from fossil fuel to allow the planet to restore.
The Human Right to water compels states to do more to ensure that its citizen have adequate access to water that is safe and in sufficient quantities to sustain a dignified life. The Sustainable Development Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation - has given us the targets that can make a water-safe future for all a reality by 2030.
Norwegian Church Aid appeals to the Norwegian government to mobilise for a renewed partnership between local communities, states, private sector, and civil society to achieve a water-safe future for all. Key recommendations are:
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