* Inadequate access to safe drinking water for about 1.1 billion people
* Groundwater overdrafting leading to diminished agricultural yields[5]
* Overuse and pollution of water resources harming biodiversity
* Regional conflicts over scarce water resources sometimes resulting in warfare
Waterborne diseases and the absence of sanitary domestic water are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. For children under age five, waterborne diseases are the leading cause of death. At any given time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from waterborne diseases.[6] According to the World Bank, 88 percent of all diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.[7]
Historically the manifestations of the water crisis have been less pronounced, but 20th century levels of human overpopulation have revealed the limited quantity of fresh water. Drought dramatizes the underlying tenuous balance of safe water supply, but it is the imprudent actions of humans that have rendered the human population vulnerable to the devastation of major droughts.
A 2006 United Nations report focuses on issues of governance as the core of the water crisis, saying "There is enough water for everyone" and "Water insufficiency is often due to mismanagement, corruption, lack of appropriate institutions, bureaucratic inertia and a shortage of investment in both human capacity and physical infrastructure".[8]
Contents
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* 1 Health impacts of the water crisis
* 2 Damage to biodiversity
* 3 Water politics
* 4 Overview of regions suffering crisis impacts
* 5 Outlook
* 6 Desalination
* 7 Global experiences in managing water crisis
* 8 See also
o 8.1 Water-related problems
o 8.2 Demographic problems
o 8.3 Cases of water crisis
o 8.4 Other
* 9 References
* 10 External links
[edit] Health impacts of the water...