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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put a spotlight on the global water crisis on World Water Day, saying Thursday that over 2 billion people lack access to safe water and more than 3 billion are affected by the scarcity of water, The Associated Press reported.

The U.N. chief warned that by 2050, "at least one in four people will live in a country where the lack of fresh water will be chronic or recurrent."

He told diplomats and activists at the launch of the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development that "water is a matter of life and death," stressing that humans, cities, industries and agriculture depend on it.

"But growing demands for water, coupled with poor water management, have increased water stress in many parts of the world," Guterres said. "Climate change is adding to the pressure - and it is running faster than we are."

The secretary-general said more than 4.5 billion people lack adequate sanitation, 80 percent of wastewater is discharged into the environment without being treated, "and more than 90 percent of disasters are water-related."

He said he has prepared an action plan to achieve U.N. goals for 2030, which include providing clean water and sanitation, protecting the environment, promoting economic development and achieving "zero hunger."