ISTANBUL, CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE — Water constitutes about three-fourths of Earth's surface, but only less than 1 percent of it can be used by its inhabitants. Most of it consists of saltwater oceans (about 97 percent), and 2 percent of that is contained in glaciers. With every country seeking to satisfy its ever increasing water needs from shrinking and limited water resources, there is the potential for future wars and conflict.
As U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said recently, cooperation, not conflict, should guide us in our quest for a solution to this crisis.
In 1992, the U.N. General Assembly designated March 22 as World Water Day (WWD) to draw international attention to the critical lack of clean, safe drinking water worldwide. The theme for this year's WWD was "Shared Water — Shared Opportunity," with the focus on transboundary water management and sharing. There are some 263 transboundary lakes and river basins, which include the territories of 145 countries and cover nearly half of Earth's land surface.