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Water Pollution an 'Invisible Threat' to Global Goals, Economists Warn

Reuters

   JOHANNESBURG - Water pollution threatens nearly all the globally agreed
   development goals to end environmental destruction, poverty and
   suffering by 2030, economists warned in a report Tuesday, citing the
   largest-ever database on the world's water quality.

   The World Bank report warned of the ripple effects of water pollution
   on the health, economies, education and agriculture of rich and poor
   countries alike.

   "This study was a huge wake-up call to us about the quality of water
   worldwide," said Richard Damania, World Bank economist and one of the
   study's authors.

   "The world tends to focus on water quantity such as floods and
   droughts, but this report focuses on the more invisible threats -- the
   effects of pollutants impacting global water quality," Damania said.

   The 193 United Nations member states agreed on Sept. 25, 2015, to a
   lofty 15-year agenda of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with
   169 targets aimed at helping everyone live healthier, more prosperous
   lives on a cleaner planet.

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