The road that leads away from thirst

By Mahmoud Mohieldin
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China Daily, February 14, 2014
Adjust font size:

Millions of the world's poorest people face serious water-related challenges - from lack of access and shortages to disputes over supplies - with profound implications for security, economic development and environmental sustainability. As world leaders design a development agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, which expire in 2015, addressing these issues should be a top priority.

Consider this: Almost 1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.5 billion people lack adequate sanitation. The costs are staggering: thousands of child deaths every day and annual economic losses estimated at $260 billion - more than double the total of official development assistance.

Making matters worse, climate change will render water supplies more unpredictable, with increasingly frequent and intense floods and droughts imposing significant human and economic costs and impeding development in poor countries. And the expanding global population - set to reach more than 9.5 billion by 2050 - will strain water resources still further.

Urgent action is needed to ensure access to safe, affordable water and sanitation for all. First, drastic improvements in water-related services - including supply and sanitation, irrigation and drainage, energy and environmental facilities - are needed to improve health outcomes and enable more people to escape poverty.

Governments should take the lead in ensuring careful management and sustainable use of scarce water resources. Water-intensive food and energy production - among others - are dependent on uninterrupted supplies. To set clear targets for managing water scarcity, reliable, timely data are needed to understand variations in the quality and quantity of water caused by climate change and environmental degradation, as well as to identify patterns of water consumption by households, farmers and industry.

Addressing these water-related challenges requires heightened efforts in four areas. For starters, new and emerging technologies can be leveraged to design more cost-effective solutions at scale. Today, there are more Internet-connected mobile devices than human beings, providing an extensive network to create and deliver mobile-based solutions.

For example, public officials can use mobile applications to tag and respond to citizens' complaints about the supply of water and sanitation services, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability. In Liberia, data collectors on motorbikes have used mobile phones to map 10,000 previously unknown water points - an initiative that informed the country's first water investment plan, launched last year.

1   2   Next  


Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter
主站蜘蛛池模板: 污视频网站观看| xxxx俄罗斯大白屁股| 窝窝午夜看片七次郎青草视频| 国产精品户外野外| 中文字幕视频在线观看| 欧美综合区自拍亚洲综合图区| 国产国产精品人在线视| 2018高清国产一区二区三区| 成人区人妻精品一区二区不卡网站 | 无码av专区丝袜专区| 亚洲欧美自拍另类图片色| 蜜桃久久久久久久久久久| 国产精品高清一区二区三区| free性泰国女人hd| 日韩欧美亚洲精品| 亚洲精品亚洲人成在线观看| 色偷偷91综合久久噜噜app | 欧美成人在线影院| 午夜亚洲av永久无码精品| 欧美激情性xxxxx| 天天操天天干视频| 久久久久亚洲AV无码专区体验 | 亚洲黄在线观看| 色噜噜狠狠色综合欧洲| 国产精品99久久久久久宅男| wwwxxx亚洲| 岛国大片在线播放| 久久精品aⅴ无码中文字字幕重口| 波多野结衣www| 人妖系列免费网站观看| 老熟女高潮一区二区三区| 国产精品久久国产精品99盘 | 欧美精品在线观看| 亚洲精品无码久久久| 美女扒开屁股让男人桶| 国产成人精品视频一区| 99re热视频在线| 年轻人影院www你懂的| 中文国产成人精品久久下载| 日韩在线观看高清| 亚洲情综合五月天|