Why in the News?

The World Bank report, titled “Water for Shared Prosperity,” was released at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia.
- It underscores the widening gap in access to water resources and services, exacerbated by factors like population growth, urbanization, and climate change.

Water for Shared Prosperity: Key Highlights of the Report

In 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water services, while 3.5 billion lacked access to safely managed sanitation.
Over 800 million people globally are at high risk of drought, with double that number living in flood-prone areas.
Low-income countries have seen a regression in access to safe drinking water, with an additional 197 million people lacking access since 2000.
Rural-urban access gaps in low-income countries have remained largely unchanged over the last two decades.
Hotspots in regions like the Sahel, Southeastern Africa, and South and Central Asia experience the highest water stress.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds over half of Africa’s total water resources.

It is a large-scale international event that focuses on the discussion and development of solutions to global water-related challenges.
It is held every three years. The first forum took place in took place in Marrakesh, Morocco in March 1997.
It is organized by the World Water Council, an international organization.
It brings together stakeholders from various sectors including governments, organizations, businesses, and academia to promote awareness, build political commitment, and trigger action on critical water issues at all levels.

The World Water Council was founded in 1996.
The idea for the WWC emerged from discussions during the International Water and Sanitation Congress & Exhibition in 1994 and the subsequent Ministerial Conference on Drinking Water and Environmental Sanitation in 1996.
WWC’s activities focus on targets related to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), among others.
The Council was established by renowned water specialists and international organizations, including academic institutions, private companies, governments, and NGOs etc.
Objective: The primary aim of the Council is to raise awareness about critical water issues at all levels, including the highest decision-making levels, to facilitate efficient conservation, protection, development, planning, management, and use of water resources globally.
Membership: The WWC boasts a diverse membership base comprising over 300 member organizations in approximately 50 countries.

World Water Forums: It is the world’s largest event on water and gathers participants from various sectors to discuss and collaborate on water issues.
Policy Influence: The WWC works to influence policy by facilitating discussions among political and economic decision-makers.
Research and Advocacy: Through its publications, policy papers, and strategic projects, the WWC fosters greater understanding and awareness of water issues.

[2016] The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain.

[2012] If National Water Mission is properly and completely implemented, how will it impact the country?

Part of the water needs of urban areas will be met through recycling of waste water.
The water requirement of coastal cities with inadequate alternative sources of water will be met by adopting appropriate technologies that allow for use of ocean water.
All the rivers of Himalayan origin will be linked to the rivers of peninsular India.
The expenses incurred by farmers for digging bore wells and for installing motors and pump sets to draw groundwater will be completely reimbursed by the Government.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4