Photos: Polluted waterways around the world ahead of World Water Day
According to the United Nations, about 4 billion people experience severe water shortages for at least one month a year and around 1.6 billion people - almost a quarter of the world's population - have problems accessing a clean, safe water supply.In the run-up to the UN's World Water Day on March 22, Reuters photographers used drones to capture dramatic pictures of polluted waterways around the world.
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An aerial view shows the Cuyahoga River in Akron, Ohio, US, on March 17. In 1969 the Cuyahoga River caught fire due to pollution, causing the US Congress to pass the clean water act and the Ohio EPA was formed. According to the United Nations, about 4 billion people experience severe water shortages for at least one month a year and around 1.6 billion people have problems accessing a clean, safe water supply.(Megan Jelinger / REUTERS)
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An aerial view shows workers collecting plastic trash that litters the polluted Potpecko Lake near a dam's hydroelectric plant close to the town of Priboj, Serbia on January 29. Two barges sailed up and down a vast stretch of floating trash on the Potpecko artificial lake in Serbia, collecting tons of garbage that almost clogged the dam that crosses it.(Marko Djurica / REUTERS)
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An aerial view shows garbage disposed on the shore of Guanabara bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 17. One of the legacy promises of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro was the cleanup of Guanabara Bay. After four years, the situation has worsened, Reuters reported citing data from state environmental institute INEA.(Pilar Olivares / REUTERS)
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An aerial view shows hover boats on the ice of Lake Baikal near the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye in the Irkutsk region, Russia on March 8. Lake Baikal remains one of the world's cleanest freshwater reservoirs. But pollution and the growth of weeds are harming microorganisms, sponges and some molluscs that filter its waters.(Maxim Shemetov / REUTERS)
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