UN warns of ‘draining humanity’s lifeblood’ amid worsening water scarcity

Secretary general urges countries to tackle vampiric overconsumption', water guzzling industries and climate crisis

The United Nations opened its first water conference in almost half a century in New York on Wednesday, with a plea for countries to work together to tackle overconsumption, water guzzling industries and the climate crisis - or else face more hunger, conflicts and forced migration due to worsening water scarcity.

A quarter of the world's population still does not have access to safe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, and despite some progress in recent years, the climate crisis is making the situation worse.