Water is a crucial natural resource that supports life on Earth in a myriad of ways. But despite being the backbone of human life, close to 2.1 billion across the globe lack access to safe drinking water, significantly affecting their quality of life. The World Water Day is a day set aside by the United Nations to celebrate water, raise awareness of the global freshwater crisis, and advocate for sustainability in water resources management.
This year, take some time to learn about the global water crisis and what you can do to help make a difference. From supporting organizations that are working to provide clean water to communities in need to conserving water in your own home, there are many ways to show your support on World Water Day. Read on to learn more about how you can make a difference this World Water Day!
History of World Water Day
The World Water Day, celebrated on 22nd March every year, dates back to 1992 when the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development took place in Rio de Janeiro. The World Water Day was formally proposed during the conference under Agenda 21. In December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted the proposal, with 22nd March every year being declared the World Water Day.
The first World Water Day was observed on 22nd March 1993 and has been celebrated across the globe ever since. The United Nations also incorporated other celebrations and events to the day, notably the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development (2018-2028) and the International Year of Cooperation in Water Sphere 2013.
Why World Water Day is Celebrated and its Importance
Every year, World Water Day is celebrated on March 22nd to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. On this day, communities and organizations worldwide come together to discuss ways to protect our water resources and raise awareness about the global water crisis.
Freshwater is essential for human survival and development, and yet it is becoming increasingly scarce due to climate change, population growth, and improper management. That's why it's so important to celebrate World Water Day and learn about ways we can all conserve freshwater resources. This day coincides with the release of the World Water Development Report, which plays a crucial role in equipping decision-makers with tools to legislate and implement sustainable water policies.
The World Water Development Report is prepared in coordination with UNESCO's World Water Development Programme (WWAP). It seeks to build on a scientific knowledge base to enhance the sustainable management of water resources across the globe. Overall, World Water Day aims to take action against the global water crisis and offer support to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, Water and Sanitation for all by 2030.
2022 World Water Celebration Theme- Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible
This year’s World Water Celebration Theme is “Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible.” Groundwater is naturally found in underground aquifers and forms the largest source of freshwater on earth. However, since groundwater is usually not visible, it’s often overlooked as a significant source of fresh water.
Groundwater is recharged mainly by snow and rain infiltrating the ground and feeds a myriad of water bodies, including lakes, springs, seeps, rivers, and wetlands. Life is virtually impossible without groundwater as it supplies a large proportion of water used for drinking, sanitation, food production, and industrial processes.
This year's World Water Day Celebration is majorly focused on creating awareness on groundwater with three main areas of concern: a resource without borders, a finite supply, and an ingredient in food. Being a crucial source of fresh water, groundwater should be protected from pollution and over-exploitation by every means possible. Protecting, exploring, and the sustainable use of groundwater will be vital for surviving and adapting to climate change, whose effects are already being felt across the globe.
10 Ways to Celebrate World Water Day
As this year’s World Water Day draws closer, there are different ways you could contribute to raising awareness and conserving water. Here are 8 ways to celebrate World Water Day.
1. Create Awareness of the Current Global Water Crisis
World Water Day is best celebrated by creating awareness of the current global water crisis where over 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water. A perfect way of marking this year's World Water Day would be to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation in your social circles. And creating awareness starts by developing a baseline of knowledge on the current water issues on a personal level.
The UNESCO website offers a wide range of resources that can be used to develop one’s knowledge on water and sanitation across the globe. Some of the insightful water resources that can be downloaded for free from the UNESCO website include Clean Water & Sanitation: Why It Matter' PDF, Water Challenge Badge, and Teacher’s Notes: Why Is Clean Water Important, among others. You can also get on to the UN-Water website to learn more about water conservation and discover the different water goals that the organization intends to complete by 2030.
After reading through these resources, you'll definitely have a deeper understanding of the prevailing state of freshwater across the globe and better create awareness among your peers and other concerned groups.
2. Participate in This Year's World Water Day Challenge.
You can mark this year’s World Water Day by participating in the 2022 World Water Day Challenge. This year's one-minute Water Day challenge involves shooting a 60-second video detailing your groundwater story. The video should address the safety of groundwater, how it affects your life, and also your opinion on what needs to be done to protect groundwater.
Once you’ve shot your 1-minute Water Day challenge video, you should upload it to YouTube or Vimeo and include the hashtags #MyGroundwaterStory & #WorldWaterDay. Next, share the upload link to mygroundwaterstory@un-igrac.org.
3. Support/ Donate Towards a Charitable Water Cause
You can actually celebrate World Water Day by donating to a charitable cause aimed towards mitigating the current water crisis. In many developing countries, access to clean freshwater is often a challenge, with young children and women walking hundreds of miles to fetch fresh water. This has dire consequences on living standards, education, and overall health.
You can mark World Water Day this March by donating to charitable water causes to help provide families in developing countries with access to clean water. Numerous water charities accept donations in the form of water gifts such as water tanks, pipes, etc., and funds to enhance access to clean water for communities in need across the globe. Notable charity organizations fighting the global water crisis include water.org, waterforpeople.org, Water for Good, and Hope of Life International. By donating to these and other nonprofit organizations, you’ll undoubtedly be contributing to improved access to clean water among vulnerable families.
4. Advocate for Better Water Management Policies at the Local, State, and National Levels.
Another unique way to celebrate World Water Day is through activism by advocating for better water management policies at the local, state, and national levels. There are different ways you can help advocate for better water management policies, including carrying out social media campaigns, creating opportunities for public participation through public forums and water board meetings, presenting your idea on good water management practices to legislators and concerned authorities, and creating a water campaign to advocate for better water management policies.
5. Watch a Water Documentary
Watching a water documentary is a great way to mark World Water Day as you'll become informed on the issues facing water resources across the globe. You’ll also be more inspired to take action by advocating for better water management policies that achieve the desired change. There are lots of water documentaries on stream TV services, including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Prime TV, and more. Some of the highly recommended water documentaries include World's Water Crisis Explained, FLOW, Tapped, Blue Gold: World Water Wars, Water: The Great Mystery, Earth Aid: Water Conservation, The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, and more.
6. Participate in a Water Campaign
Celebrate this year's World Water Day by participating in a water campaign either online or at a community level. The campaign could be about calling for better water conservation policies, advocating for the provision of safe water and sanitation, or calling for action against companies polluting water bodies with industrial effluents. Whatever the campaign, your input will be highly beneficial in achieving the desired goal.
7. Take Part in the Water Access Challenge
The water access challenge seeks to conserve water by limiting one's water needs. On World Water Day, you could participate in this challenge by limiting your access to water by a day or more. By limiting your access to clean, fresh water by a day, you'd better be informed on how vital a resource water is for our everyday life and thus warrants conservation. In essence, the water challenge will enable you to internalize just how priceless access to fresh, clean water is.
8. Create a Water Diary
A water diary is basically a way of monitoring your daily water consumption and developing awareness of water conservation. For this activity, you could note down all fluids or water you or your family have consumed on a single day. You do not have to note down the exact measurement but think of times you might be wasting water. For instance, spending too much time in the shower or leaving the tap on while brushing teeth. With a water diary, you'd better be placed to minimize water wastage and conserve water in the long run.
9. Plant a Tree
Trees are an important contributor to rainfall, a source of freshwater. They take water from the soil and release it into the atmosphere, causing rain via evapotranspiration. By planting a tree, you’re contributing towards rainfall and alleviating the effects of climate change.
10. Attend a Webinar
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will host a webinar titled ‘Restoring Freshwater’ on 22nd March 2022, World Water Day. It would be best to attend this webinar to get a deeper understanding of the importance of freshwater ecosystems and expert knowledge on water conservation. Register for the event here.
Flexispot at the Forefront of Water Conservation
At Flexispot, we are passionate about water conservation. This is the real reason we create eco-friendly sustainable products using bamboo, which consumes far less water than hardwood trees and doesn’t require any additional irrigation. Our wide range of bamboo products, including the Kana Bamboo Standing Desk, Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk, Kana Pro Standing Desk, and the Bamboo EN1 Standing Desk, are 100% eco-friendly. The entire production is chemical-free, making the products green and healthy for daily use. Every bamboo used in the construction of our products is handpicked and manually harvested, ensuring maximum sustainability.
What’s more, for any purchase of our “ONE TREE PLANTED” labeled product, we donate to the One Tree Planted Org to ensure sustainability and combat the climate crisis, which has dramatically impeded access to freshwater worldwide. Therefore, this World Water Day, you could mark the day by purchasing any of our Climate-Positive Workstation and help us combat the climate crisis, which is clearly getting out of hand.
Conclusion
As World Water Day approaches, it's time we rethink our water conservation strategies. This year's celebration is focused on groundwater which is usually overlooked as a major source of fresh water. With the different days of celebrating this day, you surely can’t lack an ideal way of marking World Water Day 2022. You could also purchase a Climate-Positive Workstation from Flexispot and leave your mark in water conservation and climate change mitigation efforts.
