UN warns 'vampiric overconsumption' is draining world's water

FILE PHOTO: A football shoe is pictured on the cracked ground of the Baells reservoir as drinking water supplies have plunged to their lowest level since 1990 due to extreme drought in Catalonia, in the village of Cersc, in the region Bergueda, Spain March 14, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations opened its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday, with a plea to governments to better manage one of humanity's shared resources.

A quarter of the world's population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, the U.N. said. Meanwhile, nearly three quarters of recent disasters have been related to water.