UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has said that water scarcity is “a potent fuel for wars”[i], and Fred Pearce has described water as “rapidly becoming one of the defining crises of the 21st century.”[ii] Both are fearful of the consequences of the development of water shortages, whether caused by over-use, climate change, conflict or competition. Physically, however, Central America is blessed with plentiful rainfall and well-supplied hydrographic basins.
Key words:
Human right to water | Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) | Water-borne diseases | Improved sanitation | Improved provision of water | Sewage treatment | Privatisation | Private sector investment | Public-Public Partnerships (PUPs) | Water pollution | Pesticide contamination
[i] UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon cited in World Development Movement (WDM) campaign document (29 November 2007) ‘Water and Conflict’, London, WDM.
[ii] Fred Pearce cited in World Development Movement (WDM) campaign document (29 November 2007) ‘Water and Conflict’, London, WDM.