One app for all your study abroad needs
World Water Day is an annual awareness celebration observed on 22 March. It was established in 1993 and aims to raise awareness about the importance of water in our lives. Moreover, the day also aims to tackle issues related to the water crisis on the global level. The UN-Water has observed that the world is currently lagging in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). This crucial day serves as a reminder that governments and individuals must adopt innovative ways to overcome the water crisis and improve sanitation.
| Name of the day | World Water Day |
| Observed on | 22 March |
| Reason | To raise awareness about the importance of freshwater. |
| Theme 2024 | Leveraging Water for Peace |
Table of Contents
World Water Day History
- In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 22nd March as World Day for Water through a resolution (A/RES/47/193).
- The resolution stated that from 1993 onwards, this day will be observed as World Water Day under the observation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- UNESCO organises and oversees several Intergovernmental Hydrological Programmes (IHP) throughout the world to help countries in the effective management of water resources.
- According to the resolution, every member state of the United Nations needs to launch public awareness programmes to impart knowledge about the depleting water resources and ways to use water resources sustainably.
- Additionally, the member nations are also required to conduct and attend roundtable discussions, expositions, and seminars on the development and protection of water resources.
Also Read: 15 World Water Day Facts for Students
What is the Theme for World Water Day Theme in 2024?
The theme for World Water Day 2024 is “Leverageing Water for Peace”. It highlights the important role of water in promoting global peace. The theme also tells us how issues like water scarcity and unequal access to water often lead to conflicts between nations and communities. Therefore, this year’s theme is to sustainably use water to ensure peace across the world.
The World Water Day theme for 2023 was Accelerating Change while the theme for 2022 was Groundwater.
Also Read: World Wetlands Day: History, Theme, Significance
What is the Significance of World Water Day?
The annual celebration of World Water Day holds great significance for different reasons such as:
- The United Nations Water urges people around the world to sustainably use freshwater resources.
- It also educates about the importance of water conservation.
- It raises awareness about the concerningly increasing issues of water scarcity, water pollution, and sanitation.
- The day aims to defeat the issue of the global water crisis by urging individuals and governments to work collectively towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Also Read: World Nature Conservation Day 2023: Theme & Activities
What is the Importance of World Water Day?
Water is the lifeline of planet Earth. Humans, plants, and animals survive on this quintessential commodity. However, over the years, we humans have failed to conserve water resources, owing to which a huge chunk of the global population is deprived of one of the most basic necessities of life. Here are a few points highlighting the need to celebrate World Water Day every day.
- Water scarcity: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2022, the lives of 74 million human beings were shortened due to water-related diseases, poor sanitation, and poor hygiene.
- Water-borne diseases: In 2022, the WHO stated that 1.4 million human lives are lost each year due to water-borne diseases.
- Unavailability of safe water: As per the WHO and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) report of 2021, 1 in 4 people, which is nearly 2 billion people, did not have access to safe drinking water.
- Poor wastewater treatment: The United Nations (UN) Water Report 2021 promulgated that the wastewater of 44% of global households was not treated safely.
- Increase in demand: In 2012, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) projected that the global water demand will increase by 55% by 2050.
Also Read: World NGO Day
How to Save Water?
According to the United Nations Organisation (UNO), the world population will reach around 9.8 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. This surge in population will amplify the demand for water exponentially. With depleting water resources, it has become essential to conserve water at an individual level. Here are some useful tips to ensure the availability of clean water for human consumption:
- Save water during daily activities like showering, bathing, cooking, brushing your teeth, and doing dishes.
- Consume seasonal food items and focus on the consumption of food products that require less water in preparation.
- Keep an eye out for leaking taps and water pipes and get them fixed immediately.
- Ensure timely emptying of septic tanks.
- Share water fetching responsibilities among male members and female members of the household.
- Visit a water treatment plant and learn wastewater management at the household level.
- Write to the elected representative of your constituency regarding water management and water pressure in your area. Ask them to allocate a considerable budget to water conservation and reuse.
- Become an active participant in river, wetlands, beach, and lakes clean-up drives in your locality.
Also Read: World Earth Day 2023
UNESCO Water Conservation Initiatives
As UNESCO is the observer of World Water Day, it undertakes numerous initiatives to conserve water and impart public awareness about the sustainable use of water. Mentioned below are the primary water conservation initiatives of UNESCO:
- Water Security
- Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP)
- UN World Water Development Report
- World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
Related Blogs
| World Environment Day | World Meteorological Day |
| World Environment Health Day | National Wildlife Day |
| International Mountain Day | World Animal Welfare Day |
FAQs
This day is celebrated to conserve water resources and use water in a sustainable manner. This day is an attempt to bring world leaders and the global population together to become agents of change to deal with water scarcity and sanitation issues.
The theme for this year is “Accelerating Change”. The UN asks the entire population to become active agents of change in solving water crises and sanitation problems.
In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared that from 1993, 22nd March will be observed as the World Day for Water.
This was all about World Day for Water. For more such interesting blogs, stay tuned to Wings by Leverage Edu.