The former president of the republic, who is a member of the global body’s Water and Climate Leaders grouping, said that the world was also further away from attaining the aims on water and hygiene than when they were set in 2015.

Growing populations and higher energy consumption is boosting demand for water, he said, and based on current trends, by 2050 roughly of half of the world’s population will live in regions where water is scarce.

Investments in water infrastructure must be increased, Áder said. Also, noting that there are now 32 UN agencies handling water issues as against 28 four years ago, he cast doubt on the efficiency of the UN’s operations in this area.

Áder briefed the meeting on Hungary’s water-related measures related to maintenance of its 4,000km river dam system, the 41 billion forints (EUR 106m) spent on biodiversity and developing national parks in the past 10 years, and the creation of the Danube-Drava-Mura biosphere reserve. Fully 95% of waste water is returned to the environment after treatment, he added.

Future tasks include preventing the desertification of central Hungary, making better use of solar and wind energy, and the speeding up of upgrades to the water utility network, he said.

The 2023 Water Conference started on Wednesday at the United Nations. Áder will speak on Thursday, while Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, will address the debate on Friday.

MTI Photo