World Water Development Report 2020 released

The United Nations predicted the effect of climate change on water availability and food production in the World Water Development Report 2020.

About the Report

The World Water development report is an annual thematic report released by UN Water and coordinated by the World Water Assessment Program. The 2020 report was released under the title of ‘Water and Climate Change’ with the objective of ‘helping the water community to tackle the challenges of climate change and informing the climate change community about the opportunities that improved water management offers in terms of adaptation and mitigation’.

Highlights of the Report

The report predicted that climate change would alter water availability and global food production pattern. The report predicted wetter conditions for certain lands under cultivation. Eg: 100% of land under paddy cultivation, 91% under maize and 80% under soybean in India over the next 40 years. At the same time, other areas would become drier. Eg: South Africa and Mexico. Water scarcity will add to the issues and the resulting food insecurity could fuel poverty.

World Water Assessment Program

The World Water Assessment Program or the UNESCO WWAP was launched in 2000. It was launched in response to a call for a periodic review of the status of freshwater resources and its use and management by the UN commission on sustainable development.


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