[FAO] Water is one of the world’s most precious resources. It connects us all and is essential to everything we do. Water is also vital for agriculture, livestock and fisheries and key to food production, nutritional security and health.
Yet, global water quality is deteriorating at an alarming rate, and land and water resources around the world are at a breaking point, according to FAO’s latest report on the State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Globally, about 80 percent of wastewater is discharged into the environment without adequate treatment, and one third of all rivers, deltas and tributaries in Latin America, Africa and Asia are severely polluted with pathogens, putting the health of millions of people at risk.