Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Nov - Dec Vol. 9 No.6 | Page 19

Water Management
of rainwater, eking out a living at the mercy of rainfall
that is even less reliable than today due to climate change.
Setting out to eradicate global poverty and hunger
without addressing the productivity of rain is a serious and
unacceptable omission.

Could Water Scarcity Prompt A Battle
Between U.S. and Canada?

The proposed SDGs cannot be achieved without a strong
focus on sustainable management of rainwater for resilient
food production in tropical and subtropical drylands, said
the scientists.

Is water so scarce that it could lead
to war between the U.S. and Canada
over ownership of the valuable
substance?

An SDG for water is needed for energy
Today, an estimated 1.3 billion people lack access to
electricity. Most of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Approximately 90 per cent of global power generation is
water intensive. To be able to deliver sustainable energy
globally, we must manage our water resources more
efficiently.
We need a water goal for our climate. Climate change over
the 21st century is projected to reduce renewable surface
water and groundwater resources significantly in most dry,
sub-tropical regions. Climate change is also projected to
reduce raw water quality and pose risks to drinking water
quality, even with conventional treatment.
Floods, droughts and windstorms are the most frequently
occurring natural disasters and account for almost 90 per
cent of the most destructive events since 1990. Wise water
management that builds on ecosystem-based approaches
is essential for building resilience and combatting adverse
impact from climate change.
I believe that the adoption of a dedicated SDG for water
will help avoid fragmented and incoherent solutions, and
contribute to a fairer handling of any competition between
different water users.
I believe that water also needs to be addressed and
integrated into other SDGs, in particular those addressing
food security, energy, climate and health. These areas must
then be integrated in a water goal. There is an urgent
need for reciprocity. We simply cannot afford to disregard
water’s centrality in all human activity.
2015 will put the world to the test. Are we willing
to commit to and act upon goals and targets that are
necessary to accomplish a future for all? This question
needs to be answered, not only by politicians and decision
makers, but by us all. Water, as we have shown, plays an
important role in securing the future we want. And the
future we want is a joint effort.
About the author
Torgny Holmgren is Executive Director of the Stockholm
International Water Institute (SIWI).
Source: IPS

By Sara Jerome

Post Media’s Canada.com recently
reported: “Canada must prepare for
diplomatic water wars with the U.S., as demand on both
sides of the border grows for this vital but ultimately limited
resource, says Gary Doer, Canadian ambassador to the United
States.”
He said the problem is so pressing that in five years it will
make