UN's global disaster alert systems goal faces uphill climb

With a relatively low price tag of $3.1b (sh11.7 trillion), the UN's plan hopes to implement the simple principle of early warning systems: assess risks using meteorological data, forecast impending problems using modelling, prepare populations ahead of time, and send out alerts to those expected to be impacted.

The future of humanity's "lifeblood" -- water -- is under threat worldwide, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres warned Wednesday in New York. (AFP)