GLOBAL FORUM SEEKS TO AVERT WATER CRISIS

clipped from www.planetaazul.com.mx Government ministers from 120 countries, scientists and campaigners meet in Istanbul this week to discuss how to avert a global water crisis and ease tensions between states fighting over rivers, lakes and glaciers ISTANBUL, Turkey; March 16, 2009.- Nearly half of the world's people will be living in areas of acute water shortage by 2030, the United Nations warned last week, and an estimated 1 billion people remain without access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The world's population of 6.6 billion is forecast to rise by 2.5 billion by 2050. Most of the growth will be in developing countries, much of it in regions where water is already scarce. As populations and living standards rise, a global water crisis looms unless countries take urgent action, the international body said. "Water is not enough of a political issue," said Daniel Zimmer, associate general of the World Water Council, one of the organisations behind the World Water Forum.