Environmental damage, together with climate change, is driving the water-related crises we see around the world. Floods, drought and water pollution are all made worse by degraded vegetation, soil, rivers and lakes. When we neglect our ecosystems, we make it harder to provide everyone with the clean water we need to survive and thrive.
Nature-based solutions have the potential to solve many of our water challenges. We need to do so much more with ‘green’ infrastructure and harmonize it with ‘grey’ infrastructure wherever possible. Planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands will rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods. |
World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about focusing attention on the importance of water. The theme for World Water Day 2018 is ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century. World Water Day is a global day of action and a chance to come together to remind the world of the one in nine people who don't have clean water close to home... yet. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called on people to reduce, reuse and recycle water on World Water Day. The day, observed every year March 22, is a day about focusing attention on the importance of water and the need to preserve it. Vice President Naidu joined several others on social media stressing the importance of water conservation. "On world water day, Reduce, reuse, and recycle water must be our watchwords if we have to handover a liveable planet to the future generations," Prime Minister Narendra Modi who also took to Twitter on World Water Day, saying the day is an occasion to highlight the importance of "Jal Shakti". "World Water Day is an occasion to highlight the importance of Jal Shakti and reaffirm our commitment towards water conservation," PM Modi said. "When water is conserved, our cities, villages and hardworking farmers benefit tremendously," he added |
Invisible water, visible crisis |
WinCalendar, History |
To mark World Water Day 2018, here are some mind-blowing and alarming facts.
- According to the U.N., 2.1 billion people don’t have safe drinking water at home.
- Of those, 844 million don’t have access to a basic drinking water service, including 263 million people who travel for over 30 minutes per trip to collect water.
- And 159 million still drink untreated water--a serious health risk—from surface water sources, such as streams or lakes.
- There are 663 million people who live without a safe water supply close to home.
- About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered, according to The United States Geological Survey Water Science School.
- The world’s total water supply equates to 332.5 million cubic miles.
- Oceans hold around 97% of all Earth's water, which means all but about 3% of our water is saline.
- Of the world’s total freshwater, 69% is frozen in ice and glaciers and another 30% is in the ground.
- Just 0.26% of the world’s water is in freshwater lakes.
- And only 0.001% of all our water is in the atmosphere.
- By 2050, the world’s population will have grown by an estimated 2 billion people—nearing 10 billion—increasing demand for water by up to 30%, predicts the U.N.
- Over 80% of society’s dirty wastewater flows back into the environment without treatment or reuse.
- As much as 71% of the world’s natural wetlands have been lost since 1900—and it’s humans’ fault.
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