Mercy Global Concern - 2003

WORLD WATER DAY - MARCH 22, 2003

Making a Splash!

While 70% of the world's surface is covered by water, 97.5 per cent of that is salt water; and of the remaining 2.5 per cent that is fresh water, almost three quarters is frozen in ice caps
• 2.4 billion people- more than a third of the world's population - do not have access to proper sanitation and more than 2.2 million people, mostly in the developing countries, die each year from diseases associated with poor water and sanitary conditions.
• 6000 children die EVERY DAY from diseases that can be prevented by improved water and sanitation.
• About 70% of all available freshwater is used for agriculture.
• About 40% of the world's populations currently live in areas with moderate to high water stress.
• By 2025, it is estimated that about two-thirds of the population - 5.5 billion people -will live in areas facing such water stress.
• Water use increased six fold during the last century, more than twice the rate of the population growth.
• Freshwater ecosystems have been severely degraded; about half the world's wetlands have been lost, leaving more than 20% of the world's known freshwater species extinct.
• In areas such s the USA, China and India, groundwater is being consumed faster than it is being replenished and groundwater tables are steadily falling.
• During the 1990's, about 835 million people in developing countries gained access to safe drinking water and 784 million gained access to sanitation facilities.