Water Crisis: Threatening a Quarter of the World's Population

SadaNews - In recent years, the issue of water security has not only been limited to environmental and developmental dimensions, but has turned into one of the most prominent geopolitical challenges facing countries, requiring strengthened efforts at both the national and international levels.

Today, the world faces numerous challenges, including wars, conflicts, famine, poverty, and economic sanctions imposed on some countries.

In light of the accelerating climate change that has led to increased global warming, drought, and desertification in many regions, paying attention to water security has become as crucial as food security, becoming a fundamental pillar essential for the sustainability of community stability and state sovereignty.

Era of Wars

A World Bank report issued on September 1, 2025, warned that 90% of the world's population suffers from either land degradation, air pollution, or water stress, meaning that 8 out of 10 people in low-income countries live without healthy air, water, or sound land. This crisis is exacerbated especially in countries suffering from weak infrastructure and ongoing conflicts.

According to a report published by the United Nations Committee on Water Resources in March 2024, 2.2 billion people still live without access to safe drinking water, and about 3.5 billion lack safely managed sanitation services, while nearly half of the world's population suffered from water scarcity in 2022.

The same source indicated that approximately 646 million children lack basic sanitation services, while the number of deaths resulting from infectious diseases due to inadequate access to water and sanitation is about 1.4 million annually, according to a World Bank report.

Moreover, more than 800 million people are at risk of drought, and over 1.5 billion live in hot areas vulnerable to flooding.

The committee's report revealed that climate change is expected to exacerbate environmental phenomena such as drought, water scarcity, desertification, and environmental pollution, in addition to posing severe risks to the stability of communities.

Regarding the impacts of wars and climate change on water security, Dr. Shaden Diab, an international expert in climate and environmental science, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that water security has become a phenomenon that affects not only the environment but also socially through migration and population displacement due to drought, desertification, and changes in vegetation cover, leading to urban encroachment into northern areas or across borders, which results in societal instability exacerbated by wars.

Increasing Challenges Worsening the Water Problem

Amid challenges and accelerated climate changes and escalating wars in various regions of the world, the issue of water security remains a fundamental priority that must be addressed through various means away from political and economic conflicts.

According to specialists and researchers in the field of environment and climate change, it is expected that the Earth will experience higher temperatures in the next five years, which will affect the health of millions of people and is also likely to lead to the spread of new pandemics and infections resulting from severe shortages of food and water.

Researcher Bill Burkman from the "Melbourne Climate Futures" in Australia stated in a report published by the Russian "Moscow News" that climate change will negatively affect the health of hundreds of millions of people, leading to the spread of pandemics and new infections due to severe shortages of food and water. Over the years, these problems will worsen.

Reports indicate that the demand for freshwater will exceed supply by 40% by 2030, threatening more than half of global food production.

The World Meteorological Organization also predicted that two-thirds of the world's population will face water scarcity by 2050, and if necessary measures are not taken, this will become a reality.

Climate Summits

Countries agree on the necessity of addressing environmental concerns and providing drinking water in remote and dry areas while intensifying efforts to find promising solutions for sustainable development and water and food security amid escalating impacts of climate change.

International climate summits are among the efforts calling for the preservation of the planet and ensuring human safety and security.

On the strategies that countries are adopting to support water security projects and mitigate the harms of climate change and its impacts on the environment, Dr. Diab told Al Jazeera Net that international efforts today are significantly visible in climate summits that seek to establish strategies focused on planning and solutions to climate problems and reducing their harms to developing countries.

Dr. Diab regarded the attention to water security as being equal to that of food security, as one of the pillars of food security and agriculture is water resources, without neglecting soil quality and innovation in this field, since there are strategies that depend on improving seed quality and reducing water consumption and adapting to the shortage of water resources.

Technological Solutions

In light of the tremendous technological advancements that today support national and international projects and serve as a fundamental pillar in confronting the global water crisis, countries are turning to rely on advanced technological solutions to ensure sustainable water security for the quality of life of future generations.

Foremost among these solutions are sea water desalination projects using renewable energy, water recycling and filtration systems utilizing artificial intelligence, developing smart networks for monitoring water quality, modern irrigation technologies, and techniques for generating water from air using condensation techniques.

In this context, Russia has emerged as one of the leading countries in water desalination and purification projects through its modern technologies and innovative projects, and it has also become a partner in this regard with other countries, especially in Egypt and the North African region.

The "Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant" project between the Russian company "Rosatom" and the Egyptian government stands out as one of the projects of significant importance in the field of energy, electricity, and sea water desalination through electric power.

Morocco has also signed several agreements with Russian companies, including the agreement between "Moroccan Water and Energy Solutions" and "Rosatom" to build sea water desalination plants, in addition to agricultural projects that rely on low water use with high quality.

Source: Al Jazeera