According to a new report published by the United Nations (UN), the world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy” with irreversible consequences.
Elchi.az reports that various regions of the world are struggling with serious water problems. Kabul is on track to become the first modern city expected to run completely dry.
Mexico City is sinking at a rate of approximately 50 centimeters per year due to the overloading of the giant water basin beneath it.
In the southwestern United States, states are constantly struggling to share the dwindling waters of the drought-stricken Colorado River.
The report published by the UN University states that the global situation is so dire that terms such as “water crisis” or “water stress” are not enough to describe the scale of the problem.
Not a crisis, but a new reality
Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and author of the report, said: “If you continue to call it a crisis, it means it is a temporary shock and can be reduced.”
Madani said that in the event of water bankruptcy, it is important to improve the existing conditions, but at the same time adapt to “a new reality that is more limited than before.”
The concept of water bankruptcy works as follows: Nature provides income in the form of rain and snow; but the world consumes more than it receives. Water from rivers, lakes and underground water basins is consumed faster than it is replenished, putting the world in debt.
The heat and drought caused by climate change further exacerbate the problem by reducing available water.
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