The Urgency of Now: The water crisis from local to global

In November 2024, SWA’s CEO Catarina de Albuquerque joined filmmaker Samuel Viana Meyler in Lisbon for "The State of Water," a conversation organized by Ar at the Champalimaud Foundation. Samuel shared his documentary "The Story of Water," which examines the water crisis in Baixo Alentejo, Portugal, and Catarina put this in context with the ongoing global water crisis. Here, we’re sharing a modified version of her talk. 

What is the state of water? Water scarcity is not just a statistic; it is the lived experience of communities here in Portugal, specifically in Alentejo. The region’s drying reservoirs, the struggles of farmers, and the impact on livelihoods are all too familiar, not only here but around the world. This is not just an unfortunate circumstance; it is an increasingly frequent crisis that disrupts lives, forces people from their homes, and impacts entire economies. And while Portugal experiences this acutely in some areas, it mirrors a global emergency where water scarcity and inequality expose the fault lines in our systems. 

In fact, perhaps today we see water as an inexhaustible resource, even more so than we did years ago. I remember as a child spending my summer holidays at my grandparents’ in Alentejo. During summer afternoons, there was always a period when the water supply was cut off. We would rush to clean up after lunch because we knew water would soon be scarce. This wasn’t just a minor inconvenience; it was a daily reminder that water was precious. Today, we often take for granted that turning on the tap will always yield water, a sense of abundance that recent drought news has begun to dismantle. 

This shift in perception brings to light the urgency of acting before this abundance we assume becomes a reality of scarcity. The challenges we face today, here and globally, demand a renewed understanding of water not as a limitless resource but as a vital, limited asset requiring protection and careful stewardship. 

Water and sanitation are human rights – not mere privileges – recognized as such by the United Nations in 2010, yet they remain aspirational for the many marginalized, isolated, or forgotten people across the globe. Think of those communities: Women who walk miles to fetch water, children denied safe sanitation, and indigenous groups fighting for basic access. 

In my role as the first UN Special Rapporteur for the rights to water and sanitation, I have seen firsthand the injustices faced by marginalized communities around the world.  

I was especially shocked by what I saw in Sacramento, California, where the city decided to shut down or restrict the opening hours of public restrooms, forcing homeless people to improvise other types of solutions to be able to exercise their right to sanitation. Open defecation and open urination were criminalized. Criminal punishment for the “offence” of having nowhere to take care of the most basic of biological functions.   

In Japan, I met an old woman near Kyoto, who lived in a community with no piped water nor sewage system. This woman, almost 90 years old, still had to collect her water from a well; she did not have piped water in her house. And why did this happen? It happened because she belonged to a Korean minority and because the community she lived in was entrenched in a legal dispute over the ownership of the land where they were living. All the surrounding communities had access to piped water, of excellent quality, as is normal in Japan, and they all benefited from functioning sewage services. But this small community was excluded. 

In Slovenia, marginalized Roma communities had to survive without safe water or sanitation. I met a man who, almost with tears in his eyes, told me that his daughter once came back home saying ‘I do not want to go to school, because the other kids are teasing me because I smell.’ And the father said ‘I know she smells, but we do not have water in our place.” And when I asked him what did you do?, he said: ‘The only thing I could do was to hug her and cry with her.’ 

These experiences reinforce that water and sanitation are not a charity or a luxury – they are human rights. Every government has an obligation to uphold these rights, for all people under their jurisdiction. As climate threats, economic inequalities, and other crises intensify, placing the protection of human rights at the center of government action is absolutely vital. 

The climate crisis is, at its core, a water crisis. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, overwhelming floods, and severe droughts are creating immense strain on water resources. We see it in Portugal’s dry summers, in Europe’s shrinking rivers, and in the floods, like the one that recently devastated Valencia. Climate resilient water and sanitation systems are crucial in order for communities to withstand these climate-induced shocks, and recover more rapidly. We must create policies that anticipate the changing climate, and build in strong measures for resilience. This goes beyond infrastructure – it is about building systems that can endure and recover, even in the face of severe climate impacts. 

Attending to these issues is not only a matter of development, it is fundamental for security. According to the Global Peace Index, violence over water resources has surged by 150% in just the past year. As reservoirs dry up and access shrinks, water itself becomes a target and a reason for conflict. If left unaddressed, these tensions could escalate, further destabilizing vulnerable regions worldwide. 

Consider Gaza, where Israeli attacks have damaged and destroyed at least six water wells, three water pumping stations, a water reservoir, and a desalination plant serving more than 1,100,000 people. Gaza’s residents survive on as little as three liters of water per day due to damaged infrastructure, when the emergency standard is 15 liters, and the recommended amount is 50 to 100 liters. The Gaza Strip already struggled with its water supply before the war, and this has only been aggravated – bombs are destroying water and sanitation infrastructure, and Israel has been cutting off or limiting water supplies, including supplies of power by blocking the fuel that keeps power plants running. 

Similar trends can be observed in Ukraine and many other places.  

What can we do? 

Investing in water and sanitation has always been important, and as water scarcity increases, smart investing is critical for supporting communities, but also for creating conditions for peace and avoiding conflict.  

We know that investing in water and sanitation delivers well beyond the taps and toilets that communities gain access to; it is a powerful multiplier. Studies confirm that every dollar invested returns exponential benefits in public health, productivity, and poverty reduction. But despite this, the shortfall remains alarming. To achieve universal water access by 2030, we need at least $114 billion annually. Yet, we are barely halfway there. 

We also must insist on investment in understanding overall water availability, particularly in the context of water scarcity, and determine allocation of water uses in accordance with human rights standards. This means that the comparatively small amount needed for drinking and basic household uses is a top priority. Currently, 80-90% of all water withdrawals are used for irrigation, while only 10% of water is used for direct human consumption. We need more transparent data on water resources and more sustainable policies that balance these competing needs. And we need the courage to demand that our leaders prioritize water as a human right, not just an economic resource. 

So yes, we must invest our financial resources and invest in quality data about water availability. But our investment must extend beyond this – we must invest ourselves. The lack of prioritization of water and sanitation in national budgets is not a problem of technology, capacity, or knowledge. It is a failure of political will. We see government budgets diverted to crisis management or military expenditures, even as the price of inaction on water and sanitation grows. Leaders have the power to change this. They have the power to make climate resilient water and sanitation a top priority – for sustainable development, for healthier populations, and for peace.   

We must also not forget that securing large sums for water and sanitation isn’t enough if funds are misallocated or miss the poorest communities. Real progress will come not just from additional finance, but from a commitment to spend existing resources wisely, focusing on equity and lasting impact. 

Some leaders are showing us how this can be achieved. In the past year, in South Sudan, Indonesia and Ghana, the Presidents have signed Presidential Compacts making water and sanitation a top governmental priority. In South Sudan, the focus is especially on eliminating open defecation. In Indonesia and Ghana, the commitments were accompanied with pledges of significant financing – 1 billion USD more to water and sanitation in the case of Indonesia, and 1.7 billion USD annually in the case of Ghana.   

These initiatives are not isolated victories. They are part of a global movement supported through our Heads of State Initiatives, engaging leaders to bring water and sanitation to the top of political agendas. Since its launch at the UN Water Conference in 2023, 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are working with our partnership on similar initiatives, each tailored to address their unique water and sanitation challenges. This is political will in action, and it is a powerful reminder that leadership can mobilize real change. 

Achieving universal access to water and sanitation requires accountability at every level. At Sanitation and Water for All, we work with the concept of mutual accountability. We provide a platform that brings a diverse set of stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, and research and learning institutions, together to set clear goals and measure progress. This approach ensures that water and sanitation remain a priority, moving beyond rhetoric to tangible, measurable actions. Accountability is not only about governments—it is about all of us demanding transparency and results. 

We must recognize the urgency of this moment. Water is the foundation of human dignity, peace, and survival. We are at a turning point. We can either let this crisis deepen or seize this moment to build a future that values resilience, justice, and sustainability. This is not a distant problem—it is here, now, affecting communities, disrupting lives, and threatening futures. 

Only by standing together, with unyielding commitment, can we ensure that safe, accessible, and reliable water and sanitation becomes a universal reality. This is our moment to redefine what we stand for, to create a legacy that respects and preserves water for all, everywhere and always.