Quality of world's freshwater worsens as data gaps mask extent of crisis
The quality of freshwater worldwide is deteriorating, raising serious concerns about the health of rivers, lakes and groundwater. Despite the severity of the issue, a significant lack of data from many countries is complicating efforts to fully understand and address the problem.
Around 3.7 billion people live in areas that contribute less than 3 percent of global water quality data. This data gap is particularly concerning, as it hampers the ability to manage critical issues such as droughts, floods and pollution, a recent UN Environment report found.
Fewer than 4,500 lake quality measurements are available out of nearly 250,000 needed, highlighting the extent of the data shortage.
Recent years have seen widespread degradation of freshwater ecosystems.
Between 2015 and 2019, 61 percent of countries reported that at least one type of freshwater ecosystem was in a degraded state.
Although this figure decreased to 31 percent between 2017 and 2021, newly available data suggests that the proportion of countries with degraded ecosystems may still be around 50 percent, the UN said.
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