Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Around 1.42 billion people across the world which includes 450 million children live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability as per the UNICEF report. This number depicts that around one in every child worldwide does not have enough water for their daily livelihood basis.
The report further illustrates that in more than 80 countries children live in areas that have a high or extremely high water vulnerability. Eastern and Southern Africa have an immense proportion of children living in such areas, with more than half of children (58 percent) facing difficulty obtaining sufficient water every day. Whereas the West and Central Africa have 31 percent respectively, South Asia has 25 percent, and the Middle East has 23 percent.
With more than 155 million numbers of children, South Asia is the most comprehensive home for children who live in areas with high or even extremely high water vulnerability.
The report added that around 37 hot-spot countries where children face terrible conditions in terms of sheer numbers, the proportions of children affected, and where global resources, support, and urgent action must be mobilized. This list includes Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tanzania, and Yemen.
Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director stated in a press release that the world’s water crisis is not coming out of anywhere and that climate change will even make it worst in the future. Due to this the children becomes the biggest victim as when the wells dry up children are the ones missing school to fetch water. When droughts diminish food supplies, children suffer from malnutrition and stunting or when the floods hit, children fall ill from waterborne illnesses. And when water resources decline, children cannot wash their hands to fight off diseases.
The motive of making the report in public as it is a part of UNICEF’s “Water Security For All” initiative to ensure every child has access to sustainable and climate-resilient water services. Even this initiative will endeavour to assemble resources, partnerships, innovation, and global response to identified hot spots.
UNICEF is working to provide:
- Safe and affordable drinking water services: Access to safe and affordable water services that are sustainable, close to home, and managed professionally.
- Climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services and communities: Water, sanitation and hygiene services that withstand climate shocks, operate using low carbon energy sources and strengthen communities’ resilience and adaptive capacities.
- Early action to prevent water scarcity: Resource assessments, sustainable water withdrawal, efficient use, and early warning and early preventative measures.
- Water cooperation for peace and stability: Support to communities and key stakeholders so that equitable management of water, sanitation and hygiene services increase social cohesion, political stability and peace; and in conflict zones to prevent attacks on water and sanitation infrastructure and personnel.
Image Source – Google
News Source – UNICEF
