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Collective action: The private sector’s interest and role in collaborating to address water challenges in urban and rural areas
- Source: UN Chronicle, Volume 50, Issue 1, Apr 2013, p. 32 - 36
- French
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- 25 Apr 2013
Abstract
As many of us are aware, water poses as one of the most critical sustainable development challenges of the twenty-first century. Overall demand for water worldwide has increased steadily over the last century and is expected to continue to do so. Increasing water demand, limited supplies, pollution, inadequate infrastructure and lack of management capacity have led to water scarcity in many regions. Overallocation of surface water has led to insufficient instream flows and therefore damage to important riparian habitats and aquatic systems. Growing cities struggle to build infrastructure that keeps pace with population growth, while those in rural communities do not have enough water to fuel their livelihoods or must travel many miles to access clean water, exposing them to harm and hindering their economic productivity.
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