March 22 is World Water Day

Water is wealth. Without water life would not endure. Access to water and sanitation is a precondition to life and a declared human right.

“For many of us, clean water is so plentiful and readily available that we rarely, if ever, pause to consider what life would be like without it.”—Marcus Samuelsson

The right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life is a declaration by the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 2013.

World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, focuses on the importance of freshwater. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of water and sanitation for all by 2030. Will those who are working for the good of humanity be able to achieve the goal of fresh water for all on planet earth?

In order to accelerate initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges related to water resources, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2018-2028 as the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development.”

“At a most basic level, human beings cannot survive without water. Equally important is sanitation, a lack of which negatively affects our quality of life and claims the lives of millions each year,” declared Miroslav Lajčák, President of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Lajčák continued, “While cooperation at the international level remains important, governments bear the primary responsibility to meet water and sanitation needs of their populations. Water and sanitation need to be mainstreamed into national development planning and budgeting processes, and must include sustainable use and efficiency, address wastewater, promote education and raise awareness.”

“Freshwater is the most important resource for mankind, cross-cutting all social, economic and environmental activities. It is a condition for all life on our planet, an enabling or limiting factor for any social and technological development, a possible source of welfare or misery, cooperation or conflict.” www.en.unesco.org.

The World Water Council (WWC) considers the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be an endeavor of the highest importance for the achievement of water security throughout the world, which is crucial for a prosperous and equitable future for humankind.

Help inspire action to achieve the 2030 Agenda by joining thousands of other people on World Water Day (22nd March) and World Toilet Day (19th November) to raise awareness of the water and sanitation crises and exert public pressure for change.

“We have the ability to provide clean water for every man, woman and child on the Earth. What has been lacking is the collective will to accomplish this. What are we waiting for? This is the commitment we need to make to the world, now.”—Jean-Michel Cousteau

Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an author, columnist, educator, and therapist. She lives in U.S.