India is anticipated to be one of many nations most severely affected by water scarcity by the yr 2050, a brand new report by the United Nations World Water Development warned.

The flagship report titled “United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: partnerships and cooperation for water”, launched on Tuesday by the worldwide physique, mentioned the worldwide city inhabitants going through water shortage is projected to extend from 933 million folks in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion in 2050.

It was issued forward of the UN 2023 Water Conference and estimated that round 80 per cent of individuals residing beneath water stress had been in Asia – particularly, northeast China.

“The global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to increase from 933 million (one third of global urban population) in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion people (one third to nearly half of global urban population) in 2050, with India projected to be the most severely affected,” the report mentioned, citing information.

The report’s editor-in-chief Richard Connor advised reporters at a press convention on the UN headquarters that uncertainties about water shortage are rising and with out sufficient intervention, he warned of a world disaster.

“If we don’t address it, there definitely will be a global crisis,” he mentioned, declaring that water shortage is the results of diminished availability and elevated demand.

Agriculture alone consumes 70 per cent of the world’s water provide, he mentioned, with city and industrial development additionally decreasing availability and rising demand.

UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay additionally emphasised that robust worldwide mechanisms are urgently wanted to stop the worldwide water disaster from spiralling uncontrolled.

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“There is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiralling out of control,” Mr Azoulay mentioned. “Water is our common future, and it is essential to act together to share it equitably and manage it sustainably.”

UN secretary common Antonio Guterres additionally echoed her sentiments, stating that water is the “lifeblood of humanity”, and its safety is crucial for survival.

Mr Guterres voiced concern that humanity is blindly travelling a harmful path.

“Vampiric overconsumption and overdevelopment, unsustainable water use, pollution and unchecked global warming are draining humanity’s lifeblood, drop by drop.”

Globally, two billion folks wouldn’t have secure consuming water and three.6 billion lack entry to securely managed sanitation, the report discovered.

The report concludes that constructing partnerships and cooperation are important for realising human rights to water and overcoming current challenges. Economic water shortage is an enormous drawback, the place governments fail to supply secure entry, akin to in the course of Africa the place water flows, whereas bodily shortage is worst in desert areas, together with northern India and the Middle East.

The report, launched forward of the essential 2023 United Nations Water Conference, the primary main UN assembly on water in almost half a century, known as for elevated transboundary partnerships and cooperation as a key to built-in approaches to water administration spanning throughout key sectors.