How can we respond to the Global Water Crisis?

Leighton Hoffman Published 12 June 2025

Water is the essence of life, and its abundance and use is absolutely necessary for every single human being on this planet. Although being one of the primary essentials to sustain life, it has easily been taken for granted in developed countries. In 2022, a reported 2.2 billion (1 in 4) people around the world were without safe access to drinking water or basic hand washing facilities, and this number is projected to continue to rise. Shockingly, 3.5 billion are without safely managed sanitation, the lack of clean water playing a massive role in this global plague. The United Nations sustainable development goals to confront the global water crisis are not being met as this issue requires a greater depth of attention; a unified front among all countries is required in managing water sources and to address the constant effects of climate change.

Why is this issue not forefront in the news or prioritized in the realm of international politics? Basic human rights are on the line across the globe, with factors attributed to conflict, contamination, poor management of resources, collapsed infrastructure, and climate change’s effects on temperatures, ecosystems, and the weather. In addition to the thousands that die daily from this issue, the scarcity of water raises prices, affects levels of education by keeping people in the poverty cycle, and increases risks for diseases and the exploitation of women and children. Water demands involve agricultural (70%), industrial (19%), and domestic (11%) uses, the scarcity being caused by both ecological conditions and the insufficiency of water infrastructure on an economic level.

Climate change is accelerating the problem through unpredictable weather patterns, causing floods and droughts which are affecting treatment facilities, destroying crops, and interfering with agriculture. Water scarcity is also contributing to cultural displacement and mass migration. Additionally, a depressingly staggering statistic is the fact that globally a child dies every two minutes from a disease relating to water or sanitation. An example of a developing country severely affected by this crisis can be found in Lebanon, where water issues are worsening. The country’s aging water infrastructure is in desperate need of an upgrade; in the meantime, groundwater shortages push civilians to build private wells, leading to land erosion. Furthermore, abysmally polluted and contaminated rivers are harming agriculture and water quality - while ultimately, over 90% of wastewater has remained untreated.

A substantial coordinated global effort has been lacking and is needed to tackle this lethal issue. The essential resource of water needs to be maintained as a natural human right and put on the forefront of all international political issues. However, solutions to the water shortage are complex and multi-faceted. Although there does not seem to be a worldwide framework to address water stress, some governments and organizations are taking steps to fight this crisis.

Thankfully, there is an increasing number of cities producing drinking water from recycled sewage water, which is a step forward, as industries around the world only recycle around 20% of their wastewater. In addition to recycling water, implementation of better targeted subsidies in developing countries should be put into action, renovating water systems for the poor. Governments must protect the poor by ensuring realistic pricing for water, and some countries must not ignore pollution. Furthermore, the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems is a priority as factors like rising sea levels and pollution are leading to the contamination of dependable water sources in many countries.

Governments around the world need to be pushed to prioritize the recycling of water, the reduction of pollution, the protection and discovery of new water resources, and monitoring levels of consumption with smart water meters, entrenching the management of water into state economic strategies. UNICEF leads by example in promoting and educating the public on water issues in schools, expanding technologies among groundwater reserves, and through the restoration of urban water distribution treatment systems to tackle contamination and leakage issues. Given the sheer magnitude of this issue, global collaboration among all countries is a major component in improving the situation, as the water crisis expands to increase its impact on worldwide poverty, increasing inequality, exploitation of vulnerable populations, and decreasing health in water-deprived regions.