world water day

Today I wish you a very happy World Water Day! But why do we celebrate it? In 1993 the United Nations General Assembly declared 22 March as official „World Water Day“ to strenghten the importance of this essential natural resource. Furthermore they recognized water and sanitation as a human right in 2010:

„The human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses.“

Unfortunately almost 750 mio people don’t have access to safe drinking water. Several people live in areas suffering from water scarcity and untreated waste water which e.g. leads to severe water-related illnesses, nutrition problems and unhygienic circumstances. Therefore it is really important to take care of our natural resources.

To appreciate water I asked some Indian friends, colleagues from my partner organization Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan as well as people working at the Regional Welthungerhilfe Offices in Delhi and Kathmandu (Nepal) what water means to them. They had to write down their statement on a paper, so I (or themselves) could take a picture of them. Have a look at the photos including some really nice answers shown below!

But who is responsible to enable water for a sustainable world? Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, says:

„I appeal to Government leaders as well as civil society and the private sector to join forces to protect and share our most precious resource, and to build a more sustainable future for all.“

Last Friday the UN released its annual World Water Development Report, in which you can find information about upcoming changes, challenges as well as case studies related to water. I think this report includes some very helpful aspects both about the current situation and the future. You can download it for free here.

In the end, what does water mean to you? Have some nice conversations with friends & family, share your ideas and pictures on facebook, instagram etc., so everybody knows it’s world water day today! Now it’s your turn – ask yourself what you can do to take action, celebrate and fight for everybody’s right to water!

Special thanks to everybody for participating in this little photo campaign!