Water Problems

Global Water Issues 2.6 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation facilities such as toilets.(JMP Report, UNICEF/WHO 2006) 1.1 billion  people do not have access to proper drinking water facilities such as aqueducts and tubewells.(JMP Report, UNICEF/WHO 2006)  3.8 million  people die each year of water related diseases.  6.6 billion and more people in the world today.(State of World Population, UNFPA 2007) 7 billion  people in 60 countries will be facing water shortages by the middle of the 21st century.(UNU-EHS 2004)  2 billion  people will have suffered from flood damage stemming from population increase and climate change by the middle of the 21st century.(UHU-EHS 2004)  9 billion people in the world by 2050.(State of World Population, UNFPA 2007) The Earth's Endowment of Water Water is a substance existing most extensively on the earth and the total volume is approximately 1.4 billion km³. However, only 2.53% of the Earth's water is fresh water, and 97.47% is salt water. In addition, approximately two thirds of the fresh water is locked in glaciers and permanent snow, so only 0.01% of the Earth's water is readily avaliable for human use.  When we look at rough estimates of the volume of readily usable water for the world population, disparities between the continents are obvious. In particular, there is markedly high water resource pressure in Asia, which is home to more than half of the world's population but has only 36% of world water resources.