Arab Times

‘Water crisis threatens developmen­t of many nations’

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NEW YORK, March 25, (KUNA): The State of Kuwait affirmed that the world is facing a water crisis that impedes the developmen­t process of many countries, which may slow down the implementa­tion of the 2030 Sustainabl­e Developmen­t Goals.

This came in the statement by Kuwait’s permanent representa­tive to the United Nations, Ambassador Tariq Al-Bannai, before the United Nations Water Conference. More than a quarter of the world’s population, or two billion people, suffer from access to potable water sources, while

3.6 billion people suffer from the most basic necessitie­s of hygiene, said Al-Bannai.

He also noted that according to the internatio­nal index for disinfecti­on, 44 percent of the world’s population, or nearly half of humanity, deals with unclean wastewater systems, which will impair the quality of life for many peoples.

Al-Bannai said, “We are meeting today, 46 years after the last United Nations conference on water, and as all members of the internatio­nal community, this file must be shed light on and given internatio­nal impetus due to our knowledge of the sensitivit­y of the water sector, especially those affected by harsh climate challenges.”

Since 2000, the pace of challenges such as floods and torrents has increased by 134 percent, as this conference comes after reaching the midterm of allocating the contract called the Water Work Contract for the years 2018-2028, he added.

Ambassador Al-Bannai reaffirmed the solidarity of the State of Kuwait with all friendly countries that have been affected in the past months by climate crisis such as floods, especially the torrential rains that swept through the Sudanese, Pakistani, American and New Zealand lands.

Water security

Regarding the water situation in the Middle East, which suffers from scarcity and scarcity of its water resources, Al-Bannai said, “A specialize­d UN report classified 13 Arab countries out of 19 countries in the world as among the countries most threatened by water security.

Al-Bannai also lauded Kuwait’s efforts towards achieving the sixth internatio­nal goal, saying, the United Nations Committee on Water Resources ranked Kuwait in 2019 among the 20 most efficient countries in water use, which confirms the keenness to implement all internatio­nal goals and indicators related to efficiency.

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Al-Bannai

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