Water
Each day, one of every two people on the planet quenches his thirst with water that originates in mountains. And as the world population swells to an estimated 9.6 billion by 2050, the worldwide demand for freshwater will continue to soar.
More than half of humanity relies on mountain freshwater for everyday life. The ten largest rivers originating in the Hindu Kush Himalayas alone supply water to over 1.35 billion people. Some of the world’s largest cities, including New York, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Tokyo and Melbourne, are dependent on freshwater from mountains.
Climate change is already causing more than 600 glaciers to disappear, resulting in springs and rivers drying up. Greater frequency of extreme weather events, droughts and floods, including flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), are also expected to increase in mountains, causing imbalance between current water supply and demand.
Given the importance of mountain water resources worldwide, the careful management of mountain water resources is a global priority. Water management practices need to be adapted to different climatic zones, using locally adapted soil and water management techniques. Most importantly, watershed management must take into account the needs of all those who depend on mountain water, including those who have the greatest stake in preserving healthy mountain ecosystems – people who live in mountain areas themselves, who are often marginalized from the decision-making processes.
Mountains, the world’s water towerspeak to peakIssue 68 - Month 4 - Year 2014 Our new issue of Peak to Peak opens with news about the latest policy brief on mountains and water produced as part of the Mountain Partnership’s advocacy work to support UN Member States to push for the inclusion of goals,... Download » |
Mountains as the water towers of the world: A call for action on the sustainable development goals (SDGs)publicationMountains as the water towers of the world: A call for action on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) Download » |
World Water Dayevent
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Active Remedy contributes to UN water security reportnewsMountain Partnership member Active Remedy has contributed to a United Nations Analytical Brief on water security.
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Forests and Water: International Momentum and ActionpublicationForests play a crucial role in the hydrological cycle. A key challenge faced by land, forest and water managers is to maximize the wide range of forest benefits without detriment to water resources and ecosystem function. With partners, FAO is working to develop a comprehensive and practical international forests and... Download » |
Memoria del taller de Crianza del aguapublicationThe National Secretariat for Risk Management, the Ministry of Environment Ecuador, and the United Nations Program for Development supported this initiative to recover ancestral knowledge about adaptation strategies used in |
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