The report also insists that any privatization or water-pricing scheme must include mechanisms to protect the poor. “A disturbing fact is that poor people with the most limited access to water supply have to pay significantly more for water”. In Delhi (India), for example, vendors charge the poor US$4.89 per m³, while families with piped connections pay just US$0.01, according to a survey published in the report. In Vientiane (Lao People's Democratic Republic), vendors charge $US14.68 per m³, compared to municipal tariffs of US$0.11.
Agriculture
About 25,000 people die every day from hunger, according to the report. An estimated 815 million people suffer from undernourishment: 777 million in developing countries; 27 million in countries in transition; and 11 million in industrialized countries.
“The absolute number of undernourished people is reducing at a much slower rate”, says the report, despite the fact that “food production is satisfying the market demand at historically low prices”.
The international community has pledged through the Millennium Goals (2000) to halve the proportion of people suffering from hunger by 2015. However, this may not be achieved before 2030, according to new findings presented in the report. Previous estimates did not distinguish between rainfed and irrigated crops. By factoring in this distinction, the report presents more precise projections concerning the water required to feed the world today and in the future.
Agriculture
About 25,000 people die every day from hunger, according to the report. An estimated 815 million people suffer from undernourishment: 777 million in developing countries; 27 million in countries in transition; and 11 million in industrialized countries.
“The absolute number of undernourished people is reducing at a much slower rate”, says the report, despite the fact that “food production is satisfying the market demand at historically low prices”.
The international community has pledged through the Millennium Goals (2000) to halve the proportion of people suffering from hunger by 2015. However, this may not be achieved before 2030, according to new findings presented in the report. Previous estimates did not distinguish between rainfed and irrigated crops. By factoring in this distinction, the report presents more precise projections concerning the water required to feed the world today and in the future.