This month, World Water Day 2000 focuses attention squarely on the urgency of finding ways to avert what some experts see as a world water crisis. From 17-22 March, leading national and international authorities are meeting in the Netherlands at the Second World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference . Hundreds of water specialists, scientists, researchers, and policymakers are attending the event, including experts from the IAEA who will review how the Agency is contributing to the fight against water shortages. Overall, the IAEA is supporting dozens of national, regional, and interregional projects in developing countries that involve the use of safe and efficient nuclear techniques for solving serious water problems. Dwindling supplies and unequal distribution of freshwater resources are among the major problems being faced.
Difficult challenges are ahead.
In many countries, including industrialized ones, problems are becoming more acute, as water demand rises and more people move to expanding urban areas. In short, the need for safe, clean drinking water is growing as fast as the world's population. Experts agree that, if nothing is done today, two-thirds of the world's people will suffer from moderate to severe lack of water by the year 2025. Problems increasingly could cross national borders, and the United Nations foresees the chance of a serious world water shortage by 2010 that could trigger conflicts. The sobering outlook is bringing more countries and international organizations together in new ways.