{"id":16749,"date":"2019-01-14T07:18:02","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T07:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/en\/?post_type=perspective&p=16749"},"modified":"2022-03-21T08:50:21","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T08:50:21","slug":"greatest-challenge-face","status":"publish","type":"perspective","link":"https:\/\/alj.com\/en\/perspective\/greatest-challenge-face\/","title":{"rendered":"The Greatest Challenge We Face?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It may be hard to imagine today, but a world without water \u2013 at least water for human use – is not such a far-fetched scenario as you might think.<\/p>\n

Across the planet, water security, safety, supply and sustainability are becoming increasingly problematic. \u00a0Strain is being put on resources and reserves like never before, and a growing proportion of the global population is already facing significant difficulties.\u00a0 Today, an estimated 3.6 billion people (nearly half the global population) live in areas that are potentially water-scarce for at least one month per year. \u00a0Top-end estimates suggest that figure could reach 5.7 billion people by 2050[1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To the casual observer, issues over global water supplies may appear difficult to understand. \u00a0When 70% of our planet is covered by water, what is the problem? \u00a0However, freshwater \u2013 the kind of water that we drink, bathe in and irrigate our crops with \u2013 is incredibly rare. \u00a0Just 1% of the world\u2019s water is accessible freshwater. \u00a0Another 2% is freshwater, but it is locked in inaccessible location, such as frozen glaciers[2]<\/a>.\"\"The accelerating impact of climate change is also reshaping some of the biggest water issues facing communities across the world. \u00a0We are facing a growing challenge of too much water in some places and not enough water in others. \u00a0And climate change \u201cis and will worsen the situation in most cases,\u201d<\/em> says Professor Arjen Joekstra from the University of Twente in The Netherlands[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim (Left) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So serious is the water problem that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim issued an unprecedented joint warning in March 2018:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 Some parts of our planet are suffering from the misery of drought while others endure the destruction of floods.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Climate change is exacerbating natural variability of the water cycle, increasing water stresses that constrain social progress and economic development.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Our health, food security, energy sustainability, jobs, cities, and the ecosystems on which all life is based are all being influenced by the way water is being managed in different parts of the world.[4]<\/strong><\/a>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Water issues facing the Middle East<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region is at the nexus of some of the world\u2019s most challenging conditions in terms of water availability.<\/p>\n