World Water Day is celebrated in the world to spread awareness about the conservation and importance of fresh and potable water.
Water – the soul of the planet
When our planet is seen from outer space, it has a distinguished blue color that highlights it from other planets. This bluish characteristic of the earth is due to the water contained in it.
Water is the key element of life as we know it. It is remarkable that 70% of the planet and the human body are made of water. It is a very important component of all forms of life on earth. Since there is so much importance of water on the planet the need of generating awareness about conservation and relevance of fresh water is also important.
World water day and its importance
This day was first officially proposed in Agenda 21 of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development on March 22nd in the year 1992, which took place in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The decision was taken by the United Nations General Assembly in order to increase the awareness among people about the importance, need, and conservation of this vital resource.
From there onwards, all the members of the United Nations have followed all the organization recommendations as well as promoting global water conservation through several activities and events. Since the implementation of World Water Day, the UN-Water has been responsible of the selection of a yearly theme and distribution of global messages along with leading the UN agencies for celebrating this event.
For the year 2018, the theme selected has been “Nature for Water” the purpose of is to explore how nature can be used to overcome the water issues presented in this troublesome 21st Century.
World Water Day is supported by several private institutions and people all over the world by establishing events such as theatrical and musical celebrations, educational events, and campaigns to raise money for access to clean and affordable water worldwide.
Several organizations involved in the objectives established by this event are the International Labor Organization, UNICEF, WaterAid, End Water Poverty, among others.
India and world water day
But why do people celebrate this event? The reasons would vary from people to people and every country around the globe has issues concerning the drinkable water and pollution of rivers, lakes, and seas. One clear example about some of these issues is India. The Asian country has a shortage of clean water supply for about 63 million people with over a sixth of India´s groundwater supply being overused. Most people have access to water only from ponds or rivers with high levels of pollution reaching astonishing levels. An alarming 80% of India’s surface water is polluted, a latest assessment by WaterAid, an international organization working for water sanitation and hygiene. Water-borne diseases and death related to contaminated water affect people from India.
Conclusion
So there lies the importance of initiatives like World Water Day and all the events related to it. The awareness of the proper distribution of potable water and its appropriate use among humans will be important to make this planet an immaculate place.
