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A desert environment with tumble weeks around and a shed in the center of the image with hills in a distance and some sparse green vegetation. a white car speeds by, half behind the shed. On the small brown shed with white ink it says Water is LIFE

Water is Life

2.2 billion

Total population worldwide that lack access to safe drinking water

70%

Proportion of global freshwater withdrawals due to agriculture

1.8 billion

Number of people living under drought in 2022 and 2023

The Global Water Institute tackles critical water challenges by connecting Ohio State’s expertise in research, teaching, and outreach with exceptional partners all around the world.

Water issues are about people, and ecosystems, and financial realities. They’re about climate and energy and old habits dying hard. Since really thorny water issues don’t have a single cause, the only way to make progress is to integrate all of those other pieces—people, energy, climate, economics—into the solution.

clear water with light wave and bubbles

Magazine cover with many logos including UN Water and unesco at the top. Title is The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024 water for prosperity and peace with infographic of a dry arid land with a cityscape at a distance and greenery and buildings along the banks of a river in the foreground as two people are rolling the carpet toward the dry land/city.

The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) is UN-Water’s flagship report on water and sanitation issues that is launched on World Water Day each year and gives policy recommendations to decision-makers by offering best practices and in-depth analyses. The 2024 report highlights the wider significance of water for our lives and livelihoods. It explores water’s capacity to unite people and serve as a tool for peace, sustainable development, climate action and regional integration. Consistent with the Sustainable Development Goal for water and sanitation (SDG 6), it is essential for global prosperity and peace.

Upcoming Events

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Landscape of a glacier

March 20 - March 21, 2025

1st World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day

Varies

March 22, 2025

World Water Day 2025: Glacier Preservation

Worldwide

May 12 - May 14, 2025

Global Water Summit 2025

Paris Marriott Rive Gauche, France

Recent News

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Water flows through a large outdoor water treatment facility with numerous metal guardrails and concrete structures, under a partly cloudy sky.

January 21, 2025

Global Water Security Takes Center Stage as Climate Change Intensifies

The World Economic Forum highlights an urgent need for sustainable water management, as water resources worldwide have dwindled by approximately 20% since 1900—just as global population and demand…

rusty water supply lid on ground.

January 16, 2025

Study Reveals High Organofluorine Levels in U.S. Wastewater and Drinking Water Risk

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) finds that conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants in the United States discharge high levels…

Smoke from a wildfire rises over a mountain landscape, with power lines and palm trees visible in the foreground.

January 13, 2025

Wildfires Threaten Los Angeles Drinking Water with Hazardous Contaminants

Residents returning to fire-ravaged parts of Los Angeles—particularly the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena—are urged to consider their drinking water's safety.

According to…

Road to Monument Valley at sunset.

January 8, 2025

Major Funding Secured for Clean Drinking Water and Sanitation Infrastructure on Tribal Lands Through the Investing in America Agenda

In a landmark move to bolster essential infrastructure in Indian Country, $700 million in funding has been allocated for the Indian Health Service (IHS) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

Part of the…