As India Today reminds us, “Water is one of the prime necessities for human needs to survive on Earth. Without an adequate and continuous source of water, life could not exist on earth. Hence, we can say that 'Water is Life’.”
22nd March is a very significant day for all species, it is known as World Water day. Focusing on the importance of Freshwater – The United Nations aims to address the value of the resource and raise awareness of this basic human right for all. One of the main reasons to mark this day was to make every human be conscious about the resource and how it is being over utilized in many parts of the world while simultaneously 2.2 billion people do not have a direct access to this resource.
This year the theme taken up by the Governing body is to focus on Groundwater. This invisible resource has an impact visible everywhere. Life would not be possible without groundwater. We live in very uncertain times currently, as our actions in the next 10 years would determine the fate of the planet for the next 100 years.
Billions of people worldwide still live without safely managed drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene services, which are critical for protecting human health. Over the past century, global water use has increased at more than twice the rate of population growth. In addition to water stress, countries and territories are facing growing challenges linked to water pollution, degraded water-related ecosystems, water scarcity caused by climate change, and a lack of cooperation on transboundary waters. The world is not on track to achieve Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. A dramatic acceleration is needed in the current rates of progress and in integrated and holistic approaches to water management.
“A drop of water, if it could write out its own history, would explain the universe to us.” – Lucy Larcom
Text written and compiled by Madhur SUTWALA, GAIA FIRST INDIA
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