World Water Day 2023 is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. Water affects us all, everyone needs to act.
Dysfunction throughout the water cycle is undermining progress on all major global issues, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, disasters to peace.
Back in 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal 6 as part of the 2030 Agenda - the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030, while not impacting the environment.
Right now, we are seriously off-track. Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and factories are being held back because their human rights to water and sanitation have not yet been fulfilled.
Water facts:
1.4 million people die annually and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene.
1 in 4 people - 2 billion people - around the world lack safe drinking water.
Almost half of the global population - 3.6 billion people - lack safe sanitation.
1.8 billion people use or work in health care facilities without basic water services.
Globally, 44 per cent of household wastewater is not safely treated.
Actions to be taken:
Save water: Take shorter showers and don’t let the tap run when brushing teeth, doing dishes and preparing food.
Flush safe: Fix leaking water and waste pipes, empty full septic tanks and report dumping of sludge.
Stop polluting: Don’t put food waste, oils, medicines, and chemicals down toilet or drains.
Eat local: Buy local, seasonal food and look for products made with less water.
Be curious: Find out where water comes from and how it is shared -MARNA visit a treatment plant to see how waste is managed.
Protect nature: Plant a tree or create a raingarden - use natural solutions to reduce the risk of flooding and store water.
Clean up: Take part in clean-ups of local rivers, lakes, wetlands, or beaches.
Water is more important than anything else on the planet. Water is one thing that defines life for all the organisms on this planet. On World Water Day, let us join hands to conserve water.
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