World Water Day

Context

World Water Day is celebrated globally on 22nd March every year. The day aims to highlight the importance of freshwater.

History

• Officially the idea of World Water Day was a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly conference on Environmental and Development in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. 
• It was then that the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution stating that every year, March 22 will be marked as World Water Day starting 1993.
• Since 1993, this day has continued as an annual event to increase community awareness about understanding the importance of water conservation.
• The main purpose of this day is to “support the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.”

Theme

• The World Water Day theme 2022 is “Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible”.
• Groundwater is a crucial resource that provides almost half of all drinkable water across the world.
• The theme of World Water Day 2021 was "Valuing Water".

Significance

• Approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on earth, groundwater provides societies with a huge number of benefits and opportunities.
• But due to anthropogenic hazards major water depletion and pollution are now affecting the life and livelihood of billions of people. 
• So, in the context of growing scarcity, the rich groundwater which contributes to the regular use of water for domestic use by the global population can no longer be overlooked.

For that reason, every year, this World Water Day is promoted globally by UN agencies to stimulate people across the world by organising promotional activities to encourage the people, make them address the critical water issues, and also coordinate with the international activities.