Singapore - The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a global strategy towards preventing water-borne diseases, an official said on Monday. Polluted drinking water will kill around 1.6 million people this year unless governments make a concerted effort to clean up their supplies, said Dr James Bertram, coordinator of WHO's Water, Sanitation and Health Programme.
WHO is adding more guidelines to its current framework governing international standards of drinking water.
Among the strategies is pushing for technologies in areas where there is no clean water.
More than 4,000 people die every day from water-borne diseases, Bertram said prior to Singapore's International Water Week starting Tuesday. The death toll is not confined to developing nations.
"It's a problem plaguing all countries, developed and undeveloped," he noted.
Governments must anticipate long-term water shortages caused by rising demand and climate change, he said.
A UN Environment Programme report predicts that the escalating burden of water demand will become "intolerable in water-scarce countries" within the next few decades.
Governments need to look at new technologies such as desalination and special filtration systems, Bertram said, and invest heavily in building and maintaining water infrastructure.
There has been some progress. For the first time last year, more than 50 per cent of the world's 6 billion people obtained their water through a pipe. Most of this water, however, is "unreliable and unsafe."
WHO hopes to use Singapore as a model for other water-scarce countries.
"The event will not only allow Singapore to share with the water industry its experiences but also bring together experts to share their views and brainstorm practical solutions," said Public Utilities Board chief executive Khoo Teng Chye.
Seven business forums are part of the week's events, with the focus on China, India, Japan, South-East Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.
The utilities board won the prestigious Stockholm Industry Water Award last year.
