World Water Day
A blog, describing a day which is being celebrated every year to keep and conserve the nature's treasure - The Water.
The value of water is much more than its price. It is highly valuable for our households, food, health, education, economics, and the integrity of our natural environment. If we investigate this, it is clear that we are taking a huge risk by mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource.
To focus on the importance of freshwater and its availability, the United Nations (UN) marks March 22 every year as World Water Day. According to the UN, World Water Day is an important reminder that about 2.2 billion people are living without access to safe water.
To focus on the importance of freshwater and its availability, the United Nations (UN) marks March 22 every year as World Water Day. According to the UN, World Water Day is an important reminder that about 2.2 billion people are living without access to safe water.
World water day – A celebration
As per the UN website, the idea for an international World Water Day goes back to the year 1992. This is the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro took place. In the same year, the United Nations General Assembly put forward a resolution by which March 22 of every year from 1993 onwards was declared world day for water. States were invited to devote the day as appropriate in the national context and conduct activities such as the publication and diffusion of documentaries, and organize conferences, round tables, seminars, and exhibitions related to the development and conservation of water resources.Later other celebrations and events were added such as the international year of cooperation in the water sphere 2013 and the current international decade for action on water for sustainable development, 2018-2028.
A new World Water Development Report is released each year on or near World Water Day to provide decision-makers with tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies. This report is coordinated by UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) on behalf of UN-Water. The annual theme for World Water Day is aligned with the focus of the report.
What is the goal of world water day?
World water day along with all the celebrations aims to highlight that water and sanitation measures are key to poverty reduction, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. For adding more effectiveness for the celebrations, each year a theme will be put forward. By this, a specific part can be focused on the betterment of water conservation observed throughout the year.World Water Day has an inherent duty of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis, in support of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Themes for World water day, since 1994
World Water Day 2022
Explaining this year’s World water day, the UN has put forward the theme ‘Groundwater: Making the invisible visible’. UNESCO also contributes to the observance of World Water Day within the activities of its Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), which works all year long to build the scientific knowledge base to help countries manage their water resources in a sustainable way.
“Groundwater: Making the invisible visible”
The 2022 edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR 2021) entitled “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible” will be launched on 21 March 2022 at the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal.Accounting for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth, groundwater has the potential to provide societies with tremendous social, economic, and environmental benefits and opportunities. Groundwater already provides half of the volume of water withdrawn for domestic use by the global population, including the drinking water for most of the rural population who do not get their water delivered to them via public or private supply systems, and around 25% of all water withdrawn for irrigation.
However, this natural resource is often poorly understood, and consequently undervalued, mismanaged, and even abused, rendering it vulnerable to depletion and pollution. In the context of growing water scarcity across many parts of the world, the vast potential of groundwater and the need to manage it sustainably can no longer be overlooked.
World Water Day 2022 Events
• Launch of the World Water Development Report 2022, “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible” - 21 March 2022
• High level panel on Groundwater: Making the invisible visible - 22 March 2022
• World Water Forum - 21-26 March 2022
• High level panel on Groundwater: Making the invisible visible - 22 March 2022
• World Water Forum - 21-26 March 2022
Key messages of World Water Day 2022
• Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere in the world.
• Almost all the liquid fresh water in the world is groundwater, supporting drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farming, industry, and ecosystems.
• What we do on the surface matters underground. We must only put harmless, biodegradable products on the soil and use water as efficiently as possible.• Almost all the liquid fresh water in the world is groundwater, supporting drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farming, industry, and ecosystems.
• We cannot manage what we do not measure. Groundwater must be thoroughly explored, analysed, and monitored.
• Groundwater will play a critical role in adapting to climate change. We must protect and explore groundwater, balancing the needs of people and the planet
Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere. Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that nourishes our lives. Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater. As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical. We need to work together to manage this precious resource. Let's together celebrate this year's World water day with an insight:
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