World Water Day

The World Water Day is celebrated annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. On this Day we celebrate water and raise awareness of the billions of people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis.

Water is an essential building block of life. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. Water is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health. The theme for this year’s World Water Day is ‘Groundwater, making the invisible visible’ and it will focus on groundwater being an invisible resource with an impact visible everywhere.

Groundwater is water found underground in aquifers, which are geological formations of rocks, sands and gravels that hold substantial quantities of water. Groundwater feeds springs, rivers, lakes and wetlands, and seeps into oceans. Groundwater is recharged mainly from rain and snowfall infiltrating the ground. Groundwater can be extracted to the surface by pumps and wells.

The World Assembly of Youth (WAY), will continue to urge young people and our extensive network of youth councils to support innovative programmes, activities, and events within their immediate communities, which help the conservation water. Climate policy makers must put water at the heart of action plans. There are sustainable, affordable and scalable water and sanitation solutions. Everyone has a role to play. In our daily lives, there are surprisingly easy steps we can all take to address climate change. We call on all stakeholders to increase climate action and invest in robust adaptation measures for water sustainability.

Exploring, protecting and sustainably using groundwater will be central to surviving and adapting to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population. Water is vital for creating and supporting economic, social, and human development. Let us focus our attention on the importance of water and advocate for the sustainable management of water resources.