Guterres made the remarks on Sunday in his official statement during the commemoration of the World Water Day.
He said by limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world will be in a better position to manage and solve the water crisis that it faces.
The world’s water resources he said are under unprecedented threat, adding that about 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water while 4.2 billion live without access to adequate sanitation.
“Unless we act with urgency, the impacts of climate change are projected to exacerbate these figures and 4.4 billion people will live with limited access to water, with more than 1 billion of them living in cities,” he said.
He described water as the primary medium through which people perceive the effects of climate change disruption.