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World Water Day 2008
“Coping with water scarcity” was the theme of this year’s World Water Day, celebrated on March 22
The theme, which was chosen by UN Water, is designed to highlight the increasing significance of water scarcity around the world and need for cooperation to ensure resources are managed fairly and efficiently.
Generally acknowledged to be a continent richly endowed with an array of natural resources, but limited water resources, Africa is facing serious challenges for the future in view of global warming and climate change. The 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has revealed Southern Africa to be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Fresh water is critically important to society and environment alike and its sources, pathways, requirements, uses, abuses and conservation need to be monitored and studied intensively, as it is vital to understanding the respective roles of climate change and human-driven local changes.
During last year's ELTOSA meeting scarce water resources, which affects all member countries, was identified as a priority for research. Delegates are currently working on a proposal for funding of long-term monitoring of natural water resources to submit to NEPAD.
 Chongqing, China: A nearly dried-up area of the Jialing river. The water levels of the country's major rivers, Yangtze, Jialing and Yellow River, reached nearly record lows due to droughts caused by unusually warm temperatures which left nearly 5 million people facing drinking water shortages.  Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya: One of thousands of dead flamingos on the dry lake bed. The number of flamingoes living on the lake had declined dramatically, a number of factors have been blamed including the receding waters of the lake, and pollution.
Hyderabad, India: Women struggle through a crowd to reach a mobile water tanker in a slum area (Picture © Mahesh Kumar/AP)  Guangxi province, China: Girls play on parched land. Last year a severe drought left more than 2.4 million people short of drinking water (Picture © AP)  River Pang, England: In April 2006 water levels were so low that parts of the river course dried up (Picture © Martin Godwin)  Wajir, Kenya: A pastoralist walks past carcasses in the drought stricken province in this February 2006 Picture (Picture © Tony Karumba/AFP)  Africa: Children play on a roundabout located on top of a bore hole which stretches more than 50 metres towards the earth's core. The water is pumped to the surface by simplistic engineering powered by the motion of the children's spinning (Picture © Cathal McNaughton/PA)  Vardim island, Bulgaria: Fisherman pulling net in his boat. The Vardim island on the Danube is located at 10 km east from the town of Svishtov (situated on a high terrace on the right bank of the Danube river). According to WWF the Danube is under threat from shipping (Picture © Anton Vorauer/WWF-Canon)  Nimburg, Germany: A couple walks through the dried-out riverbed of the Dreisam river. A permanent drought has dried out parts of the river (Picture © Rolf Haid/EPA)  Manila, Philippines: Rows of shanties contribute to the pollution of an inland river. A recent report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the global development network of the United Nations, noted that more than 10 million Filipinos have no access to safe drinking water, while more than 21 million lack basic sanitation (Picture © Mike F Alquinto/EPA)  Hyderabad, India: A boy walks across the parched bed of a pond (Picture © Mahesh Kumar/AP)  Nairobi, Kenya: A Turkana woman queues for water at an NGO funded borehole (Picture © Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty 2008_May_Article)  Ardales, Spain: Guadalhorce reservoir shows a very low water level (Picture © Jose Luis Roca/AFP/Getty 2008_May_Article)  Indus river, Pakistan: The river has been threatened by over-extraction and climate change says WWF (Picture: François Xavier Pelletier/WWF-Canon) |
