Water is life. Life on our Planet originated from water, and without it the world would cease to exist. Two thrids of our body, as well as the Earth, is made up of water. Water played a central role in making human existence possible: from fish that came out of the primordial soup to reach the dry land, to all those civilizations that rose up on the shores of a sea or along a river.

Millions of people without water

22 March is World Water Day, the day chosen by the United Nations in 1993 to highlight the importance of preserving this source and making it available to everyone worldwide. According to UNICEF, indeed, there are about 750 million people in the world who don’t have access to drinking water, while in other countries people have drinking water even in the toilet.

The 2019 edition

The theme of World Water Day 2019 is “Leaving no one behind“, a clear reference to the underlying objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to improve the living conditions of all the world’s inhabitants. In particular, SDG number 6 aims to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. Today, over 2 billion people worldwide don’t have clean and safe water in their homes, and many groups such as women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples and disabled people are marginalised and face discrimination in accessing this essential resource.

Wastewater

Water is essential to survive and protect our health – one third of the world’s population doesn’t have access to adequate sanitation – but is also of vital importance for creating new jobs and promote economic, social and human development. The 2017 edition of World Water Day was dedicated to wastewater to highlight the importance of a correct management of wastewater for human and environmental health, especially of marine ecosystems. The UN wants to improve by 2030 “water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and increasing recycling and safe reuse globally”.

On the occasion of the international day, that aims to highlight the need to reduce consumption of water resources at home as well as globally, a number of initiatives have been organised throughout the world.

We’ve long taken it for granted, but water is not an infinite resource. Climate, agriculture, health and life itself on our Planet depend on it. The hashtags used in the social media are #WaterIsWork and #WorldWaterDay.

Tradotto da Francesca Clemente