International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and recommending for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
History of World Water Day
An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.
World Water Development Report
Each year, the World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater, along with the launching of World Water Development Report (WWDR), an annual report with a focus on the same specific aspect.
The planet is facing a 40
% shortfall in water supply by 2030, unless we dramatically improve the management of this precious resource. This is the unavoidable conclusion reached in the 2015 United Nations World Water Development Report, “Water for a Sustainable World”, launched in New Delhi India on 20.03.2015.
Water is at the core of sustainable development. Water resources, and the range of services they provide, underpin poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability. From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social well being and inclusive growth, affecting the livelihoods of billions.Richard Connor, lead author of the report said the world is facing a “collapse in our global socioeconomic system”.
Facts about the water crisis
- Roughly 75% of all industrial water withdrawals are used for energy production.
- There are 658 million people living without access to water in Africa.
- By 2035, the global energy demand is projected to grow by more than one-third.
- Diarrhea caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hand hygiene kills an estimated 842,000 people every year globally, which is 2,300 people per day.
- 750 million people lack access to clean water, which is over double the population of the United States.
- The water crisis is the number one global risk based on impact to society (as a measure of devastation) and the eighth global risk based on likelihood (likelihood of occurring within ten years), according to the World Economic Forum.
- 82% of those who lack access to improved water live in rural areas, while 18% live in urban areas.
