| Description: |
Life’s elixir
Water is indispensable for all forms of life. It is needed for almost all human activities. Access to safe freshwater is now regarded as a universal human right (United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2003) and the Millennium Development Goals include the extended access to safe drinking water and sanitation (UNDP, 2006).
Sustainable management of freshwater resources has gained importance at regional and global levels. The climate and freshwater systems are interconnected in complex ways. Any change in one of these systems induces a change in the other — and can exacerbate problems of desertification, or lead to the loss of biodiversity. |
