Today we celebrate an essence of life described as one of the basic necessities of life by UNICEF – Water. World Water Day is an annual UN observance day that highlights the importance of freshwater. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
The intention is to inspire people around the world to learn more about water-related issues and to take action to make a difference. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an additional focus on hand washing and hygiene.
Relevant issues include water scarcity, water pollution, inadequate water supply, lack of sanitation, and the impacts of climate change (which is the theme of World Water Day 2020). The day brings to light the inequality of access to WASH services and the need to assure the human right to water and sanitation.
Water as we know is a very valuable resource and it gets more scarce as time passes because the human race grows exponentially. Many communities especially in our continent Mother Africa lacks access to clean and potable water.
This year’s celebration of world’s water day has a reflection for us all which is to think about what water means to us. Last year we had the coronavirus pandemic at its peak which showed us the extreme inequality that exists in the human society at large.
Even in well-developed and affluent areas resources like water were in high demand but the supply was extremely subpar. Because virtually the whole world was on lockdown the usage of water skyrocketed in instances like taking showers, washing clothes and so on. A lot of individuals had to learn the hard way about the value of water and how limited it truly is.
So, as we celebrate water day today it would be wise for us to try not to take the natural resources, we see around us such as water for granted because with the ever-surging population and climate change the situation is bound to get worse. And the only way forward is conservation.
Join us and have a glass of fresh clean water in toast to World Water day and remember – “conservation is key”.