Approximately 750 million people worldwide still have no access to an improved water supply, despite progress achieved in the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000, said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in his message delivered Sunday, World Water Day.
Regarding sanitation, Ki-Moon said, “Some 2.5 billion people still live without improved sanitation, and a billion people practice open defecation, making sanitation the least successful area of the MDGs.”
“The onset of climate change, growing demand on finite water resources from agriculture, industry and cities, and increasing pollution in many areas are hastening a water crisis that can only be addressed by cross-sectoral, holistic planning and policies – internationally, regionally and globally,” the message added on Sunday.
The day, which is held annually on 22 March, targets a specific area of freshwater every year.
As the United Nations prepares to adopt a new post-2015 plan for sustainable development, World Water Day this year highlighted the essential and interconnected role of water.
“We rely on water for public health and equitable progress; it is essential for food and energy security, and it underpins the functioning of industries,” Ki-Moon said in the message.
Egypt ranks 50 among 178 countries regarding the water and sanitation indicator on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) issued by Yale University.
