It was in 1992 that the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was hosted in Rio de Janeiro. About 108 Heads of State and Government, and representatives from international agencies and non-governmental organizations, from all over the world, met to discuss issues around sustainable development. The same year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution by which March 22 of each year was declared World Day for Water.
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Why Do We Celebrate World Water Day?
Why Do We Celebrate World Water Day – freepik
How much do you value water? World Water Day 2021 is a gentle reminder of how water is one of the most essential resources and draws our attention to the global water crisis. This day strengthens our support for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. It’s imperative that we safeguard water for the benefit of everyone and it’s undeniable that this critical resource is essential to survival. For both domestic and industrial use, water needs to be preserved. The Earth may be called the Blue Planet, but unfortunately, only 1-2% of water is fit for human use.
When Is World Water Day Celebrated?
Wondering what’s the World Water Day date? World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March every year since 1993, as a means of drawing attention to the scarcity of water, and the importance of freshwater. This day advocates for the sustainable management of our freshwater resources. One should take this day as an opportunity to learn more about the urgency of the situation and to align with the focus of the World Water Day significance.
World Water Day Theme For 2021
World Water Day Theme 2021
Like every year, this year also has a World Water Day theme, which is “Valuing Water”. It’s all about stirring a conversation around what water means to people, its true value, and generating ways to conserve the resource. The World Water Day theme for 2020 was “Water and Climate Change” and explored how the two issues are linked. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 campaign also promoted messages of washing one’s hands regularly and keeping safe. The theme in 2019 was “Leaving no one behind”. Previous World Water Day themes for the years 2014 to 2018 were “Water and energy”, “Water and Sustainable Development”, “Water and Jobs'”, “Why waste water?” and “Nature for Water”.
The global water crisis has worsened and World Water Day 2021 has come as a wakeup call! World Water Day 2021 will be celebrated as an online event this year and it’s on this day that the United Nations World Water Development Report is released. It focuses on the same topic as the campaign and recommends policy direction to decision-makers. Shockingly, the 2018 UN Progress report on SDG6 gathered that the world is not going to be able to meet its water targets. Hundreds of millions will still be without access to safe water, demand for fresh water will be more than its supply and wastewaters will still be polluting the environment in 2030. So, how do you really celebrate the day? While you sure can share these World Water Day quotes and slogans to encourage people to save water and to promote awareness of the role it plays in our lives, it’s vital to practice ways to conserve water in your daily routine. Valuing water is now more important than ever before!
World Water Day Celebration Ideas
Water Day celebration doesn’t start and stop on the World Water Day date. It should ideally be a year-round thing! Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Learn more about how you can get involved. Gain the knowledge and make a change.
- Showering to washing hands to cooking, practice responsible water use.
- Plant a tree. More trees mean better quality soil for water to fall onto and flow through, thus preventing flooding and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
- Make shopping for recycled goods a priority. It takes less water and energy to turn materials into recycled goods than it does to start with raw materials.
- Reduce food waste as it directly contributes to the reduction of water waste.
Begin to value water.
These simple steps will help us save one of our most precious resources. Water supply is not infinite as many think. Pledge now to reduce wastage, prevent damaging water quality, and improve water management. We must do our bit to save what we have today so that our future generations too can see the world and its beauty the way we do.
