Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa water, Sanitation May-June2015 Vol. 10 No.3 | Page 11

NEWS in brief
chains both within the UK and internationally to discover
where they might be at risk of water scarcity, poor water
quality or reputational damage associated with their use of
water.

Global Highlights

ISS astronaut echoes the findings of the 2015
World Water Development Report from outer space

It also identifies the top ten water risk ‘hot spots’ in the
world. The most significant countries for the UK (in terms
of import value) are China, the USA and Spain.
It also sets out ten ‘golden rules’ businesses should follow to
address their water risks. These include using WWF’s Water
Risk Filter to map supply chains against exposure to water
risk. Businesses can also work with catchment neighbours,
NGOs, and those in their supply chain to reduce risk. They
could also use their influence to advocate for improved
management of rivers, lakes and aquifers, and shouldn’t be
afraid to create innovative solutions, the report states.
Industries affected range from textiles to beverages and
from food to pharmaceuticals. About 40% of UK imports
(by value) come from countries that have hot spots of
high water risk, with some industries such as textiles more
exposed than others. The report found that 60% of the UK’s
clothing imports, worth £9.7 billion, come from areas with
high risks.
Closer to home, latest Environment Agency figures show
that just 17% of England’s rivers are in good ecological health
– with a third of the pressures causing failure attributed to
agricultural impacts, closely associated with the production
of food and drink.
Managing water is now recognized as one of the key
challenges of the 21st century, with the World Economi