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Münger, François --- "Foreword" [2013] ELECD 284; in Boisson de Chazournes, Laurence; Leb, Christina; Tignino, Mara (eds), "International Law and Freshwater" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013) xiii

Book Title: International Law and Freshwater

Editor(s): Boisson de Chazournes, Laurence; Leb, Christina; Tignino, Mara

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781781005088

Section Title: Foreword

Author(s): Münger, François

Number of pages: 2

Extract:

Foreword
The global water crisis is one of the most important challenges of
this century, as demand for freshwater dramatically increases. With
the world's freshwater resources under mounting pressure, we have to
respond to a challenge that presents a magnitude and pace that are
unique in the history of our sector. Some of the issues to face are popu-
lation growth, migration, urbanization, water pollution, climate change,
land-use changes and economic alterations that impact directly on water
resources, water services and ecosystems services. These issues increase
the difficulty of water management within a watershed, particularly in
transboundary river basins.
The global water crisis is multiform. Its expression is the dwindling of
water availability per capita (on this aspect an enormous effort has to be
made to tackle the inefficiency of water use in agriculture). The water
crisis is also qualitative: in developing countries, 80 percent of waste
water and solid waste go directly into the environment without treat-
ment, and sanitation is now a fundamental part of water management.
The 1 billion people without access to drinking water and the 2.6 billion
without access to basic sanitation are also part of this global water crisis.
On this particular aspect, the recognition by the UN General Assembly
that water and access to sanitation is a human right is a historical step
forward. It constitutes a fundamental change and progress compared
with the Millennium Development Goals. The challenge now is to trans-
late this into reality in the field. ...