In news: 22nd of March 2021 was celebrated as World Water Day, all over the world
This year’s theme: The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water.
About the World Water Day
- World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, focuses on the importance of freshwater.
- Purpose: Highlighting the importance of water and raising awareness about the water crisis that the world faces.
- 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 Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
More about this year’s theme:
According to the UN, the value of water is about much more than its price water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource
World water day celebration in India
- UNESCO New Delhi, along with the National Mission for Clean Ganga and other partners, organized a hybrid event with school children and teachers to celebrate ‘World Water Day 2021’.
- It included felicitating the winners of a water conservation awareness programme, and screening of their winning animation short films.
- UNESCO launched this programme nation-wide last September for school children in India, in partnership with the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the United Schools Organization (USO), Water Digest and India based global animation major Toonz Media Group.
- Entitled “H2Ooooh! – Waterwise program for children of India”, this innovative initiative encouraged school students between the age of 6-14 years to submit story ideas for animated short films to raise awareness on water conservation and its sustainable use
History of UN World Water Day
The idea for this international day goes back to 1992, the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro took place. That same year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993.
Other UNl initiatives related to water
- The International Year of Cooperation in the Water Sphere 2013
- In order to accelerate initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges related to water resources, the General Assembly proclaimed the 2018-2028 as the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development
Key facts related to water
- Today, 1 in 3 people live without safe drinking water.
- By 2050, up to 5.7 billion people could be living in areas where water is scarce for at least one month a year.
- If we limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, we could cut climate-induced water stress by up to 50%.
- By 2040, global energy demand is projected to increase by over 25% and water demand is expected to increase by more than 50%.
