Eliza Taylor 19 March 2024
Water is an essential resource and a fundamental right for all living things on Earth. It is not just a requirement. World Water Day highlights the importance of protecting and managing this precious resource. Read this blog to get all the information about this day and enhance your knowledge about Water conservation.
In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,’ the Poet mentions “water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” This is the true for the world today. The humanity stands at a stage where Water is beyond scarce. Thus, to increase the awareness of this scarce resource, the world marks an important day the “World Water Day.”
However, there are people, who choose to neglect the importance of Water and continue to waste it. But not anymore! This blog highlights the importance of World Water Day in protecting the essential Water resources of our world and providing equal access to clean Water. It also explores the activities and events associated with it, along with discussing the theme and key messages for 2024. So, let’s read ahead to learn more!
What is World Water Day?
Water, the most crucial of life, is celebrated globally on World Water Day, March 22nd. It’s an international campaign started by the United Nations. The aim is to make people from all over the world understand the importance of fresh Water. It aims to create a platform to highlight Water-related problems and launch projects targeting Water and sanitation access. Additionally, it also inspires action to address Water challenges worldwide.
History of World Water Day
The World Water Day was added as part of the “1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development,” referred to as “UNCED,” which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The time the UN General Assembly made the 22nd of March 1993 the World Water Day. Each year, the aim of this day is to promote Water conservation and management by introducing various themes.
The importance of Water
All living things need Water. We need it to drink, to stay clean, to grow food and to produce energy. If clean Water is not available in sufficient amounts, the entire humanity can be at risk of their lives. It is most obviously seen in their struggle to obtain fresh Water. Thus, keeping Water clean, and guaranteeing everyone has a chance is essential to everyone’s existence, health, and safety.
Activities and events on World Water Day
The celebration of World Water Day involves many activities outside of local communities, meetings, seminars, and exhibitions around the world. Through these efforts, UN aims to teach people the problems associated with Water, gather inventive ideas and provide local support for Water-related projects and policies. Local governments, NGOs, schools, and businesses are commonly the main sources of diverse meetings that allow for such collective actions, which promote prosocial behaviours as well.
Theme for World Water Day 2024
The World Water Day theme for the year 2024 revolves around the important linkages between water and the goals of sustainable development. It highlights key roles that Water plays in the formation of resilient communities, the fostering of economic development, and maintenance of sustainable environment.
This theme calls for a unanimous approach to managing our Water resources more wisely, creatively, and inclusively. The idea is to make people realise that this resource is a building block which consequently leads to making a sustainable and equitable future possible. It emphasises the essence of building water sustainability prerequisites into those areas of planning, implementing and policy-making where United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are to be accomplished and the global water crisis is to be addressed directly.
Promoting Water for peace
The battle for Water among different users, communities, and nations can inflame bitter tensions and conflicts. So, cooperation and dialogue in ” Water management ” are called for ” peacebuilding and sustainable development.
World Water Day focuses on the relationships of Water-caused problems across the world. It suggests that policymakers and stakeholders work together to guarantee access to Water and build a sustainable Water management system.
Key messages of World Water Day 2024
Key messages of World Water Day 2024, centred around the theme “Water for Peace,” emphasise the following:
a) Water as a catalyst for peace: Emphasising the way in which community development through clean Water and efficient Water management leads to collaboration, creates trust and reduces conflicts among the communities and nations.
b) Promoting diplomacy and dialogue: We should enlighten the importance of the dialogue, negotiation, and diplomacy tools as fundamental tools for peaceful coexistence as well equitable Water allocation.
c) Addressing Water scarcity and conflict: Recognising that Water scarcity, struggle over Water resources, and conflict are often interconnected, and so advocating for the conflict-prevention strategy which holds a place for collaborative Water management to prevent tensions and to build stability.
d) Building resilience and sustainable peace: Keeping in mind that by working on two pillars, such as effective and sustainable Water systems and Water infrastructure, we can find a piece in the peacebuilding puzzle, especially in areas with significant Water-related conflict.
e) Empowering communities: Supporting the local communities, including the most vulnerable and marginalised groups, in taking part in the Water management decision-making process and emphasising the peace and justice approach.
f) Global solidarity and cooperation: Attainment of international cooperation, solidarity, and support to overcoming Water problems, building peace, and realising Sustainable Development Goals under Water and peacebuilding.
Fascinating facts about Water
The following are some of the most interesting facts about Water you will ever read:
1) Out of 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface which is covered with Water, only about 2.5% is fresh Water.
2) Since Water makes up around 60% of the human body, it is important for carrying out biological functions.
3) Over two billion individuals globally lack clean drinking Water, causing Waterborne diseases and preventable deaths. Water scarcity affects nearly half of the world’s population.
4) Increased population and climate change will probably make this issue worse.
Conclusion
World Water Day 2024 acts as a reminder that Water is important for both our survival and the development of global peace and cooperation. We can avoid issues and create a better society where everyone has access to clean Water by uniting to manage Water resources sensibly and fairly.
