In a world of unprecedented wealth almost 2 million children die each year for want of a glass of clean water and a toilet. Beyond the household, competition for water for production intensifies, while the environment and the rural poor lose out. Debunking the myth that the global water crisis is the result of scarcity, the 2006 Human Development Report argues that poverty, power and inequality are at the heart of the problem.
The Report offers fresh new data on how many poor people go without water and sanitation, the inequality of access within and between nations, and on what clean water really means for child survival rates. It argues for a concerted drive to achieve water and sanitation for all through national strategies and proposes models of cooperation to resolve cross-border tensions in water management. The global launch took place in Cape Town, South Africa. Simultaneous launches were conducted in New York, Toronto, and Oslo.
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