Water: a scarce and poorly managed resource

On March 22, 1992, the United Nations Organization established the World Water Day, a date that recalls the effort of various international entities to raise awareness about this essential resource for planet Earth and for human survival. 

One of the main challenges related to water in the world is the inequality in access to the vital resource: according to data from United Nations World Report on Water Resources Development, about 2.2 billion people in the world do not have access to drinking water (about 25% of the world's population) and more than 4.2 billion (more than 50% of the world's population) live without access to basic sanitation services. 

The lack of access to drinking water has dramatic consequences worldwide, with about 2 million deaths attributed per year to this problem, especially among children under 5 years old in developing countries. The inequality in access is also shocking: in countries where there is water scarcity, as is the case in the African continent, the average individual consumption is between ten to fifteen liters of water/day; whereas in New York, a single person can use about two thousand liters of water/day.

Another big problem related to water is the inadequate and criminal management of the resource. Pollution, especially industrial and agricultural, contaminates rivers, lakes, and aquifers around the globe, making various water sources unsuitable for human consumption. This inadequate management also affects food production: agriculture is responsible for about 70% of water consumption (while only 6% is intended for domestic consumption), but, unfortunately, often resorts to excessive use of irrigation, which leads to soil degradation and reduced water quality.