Water Scarcity and Quality
The planet’s freshwater resources, if managed sustainably and effectively, can meet water demands of the world’s growing population with good quality water. However, water scarcity and water quality degradation present major challenges in securing enough water of good quality to meet human, environmental, social and economic needs to support sustainable development of countries. The widespread water quality degradation across the world is the most serious water problem, threatening human health and ecosystems’ integrity, but also representing a major concern for the water resources sustainability. New water quality challenges such as emerging pollutants and safe wastewater reuse bring even greater concerns, calling for urgent attention.
Focal Areas
- Focal area 3.1: Improving governance, planning, management, allocation, and efficient use of water resources
- Focal area 3.2: Dealing with present water scarcity and developing foresight to prevent undesirable trends
- Focal area 3.3: Promoting tools for stakeholders involvement and awareness and conflict resolution
- Focal area 3.4: Addressing water quality and pollution issues within an IWRM framework - improving legal, policy, institutional, and human capacity
- Focal area 3.5: Promoting innovative tools for safety of water supplies and controlling pollution