“All the rivers in the report symbolize the current freshwater crisis, which we have been signalling for years," says WWF Global Freshwater Programme Director Jamie Pittock.
"Poor planning and inadequate protection of natural areas mean we can no longer assume that water will flow forever. Like the climate change crisis, which now has the attention of business and government, we want leaders to take notice of the emergency facing freshwater now not later.”
Five of the ten rivers listed in the report are in Asia alone. They are the Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Ganges and Indus. Europe’s Danube, the Americas’ La Plata and Rio Grande/Rio Bravo, Africa’s Nile-Lake Victoria and Australia’s Murray-Darling also make the list.
Dams along the Danube River — one of the longest flowing rivers in Europe — have already destroyed 80 per cent of the river basin’s wetlands and floodplains. Even without warmer temperatures threatening to melt Himalayan glaciers, the Indus River faces scarcity due to over-extraction for agriculture. Fish populations, the main source of protein and overall life support systems for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide, are also being threatened.
The report calls on governments to better protect river flows and water allocations in order to safeguard habitats and people’s livelihoods.
“Conservation of rivers and wetlands must be seen as part and parcel of national security, health and economic success,” Pittock adds. “Emphasis must be given to exploring ways of using water for crops and products that do not use more water than necessary.”
In addition, cooperative agreements for managing shared resources, such as the UN Watercourses Convention, must be ratified and given the resources to make them work, says WWF.
“The freshwater crisis is bigger than the ten rivers listed in this report but it mirrors the extent to which unabated development is jeopardizing nature’s ability to meet our growing demands,” says Pittock. “We must change our mindset now or pay the price in the not so distant future.”
Saturday, April 07, 2007
The majestic Nile River is among the world's most threatened 10 rivers according to a recent publication from the World Wide Fund (WWF).
The report, World's Top Rivers at Risk, released ahead of World Water Day (22 March), lists the top ten rivers that are fast dying as a result of climate change, pollution and dams.
The publication can be downloaded from
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from Nepal
Urbanization is an ongoing process through out the world as an indicator of development. The hyper-urbanization without effective Urban Environmental Management (UEM) is destructive not constructive. Because of its growing status, we are facing the adverse impact on human health. During the past few decades along with development and modernization human target is focusing to make new products, use them once and throw them away rather than optimum uses of valuable resources, enhance productivity and to be more competitive to reduce adverse impact to urban environment. In this regards, environmental leader has to develop the holistic approach to lead the community people in the direction of sustainable way, by keeping the environmental technology in the access of the people.
Undoubtedly, urban is the centre of business, national economy, human resources, culture and heritages but due to declining quality and quantity of natural resources, it seems to be the centre of toxic pollution . Thus UEM is rapidly becoming the issues of urgent needs of 21ist Century to balance anthropogenic activities and urban ecosystem to safe urban community and to increase urban economy. These factors are leading us for environmental leadership..