March 22 is chosen every year as World Water Day with the message of appreciating water resources and preserving the source of life. Less than 1% of liquid is available to sustain all life on Earth, and it’s decreasing day by day.
In Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil officially proposed a world water day, calling on the public not to use water inappropriately. waste as well as avoid polluting fresh water sources.
The 2024 theme chosen by UN Water is Water for Peace
Resolution A/RES/47/193 of the UN General Assembly concretized the above proposal and selected March 22 every year as World Water Day, also known as World Water Day. In 2003, the UN Water Committee (UN-Water) was established, responsible for choosing the theme and message for the annual World Water Day.
The world is being drained of clean water
The year 2023 was launched by the United Nations with the theme “Accelerating Change” emphasizing the role of water as the foundation for all aspects of life and the core of sustainable development. sustainable in each country; At the same time, it aims to solve the global water and sanitation crisis. Thereby, we call on the community to jointly implement action programs to protect water resources to make a difference by changing the way we use, exploit and manage water in daily life.
About 2-3 billion people suffer from water shortages for at least one month every year
In 2024, the selected message is “Water for peace”, focusing on the important role of water resources in the stability and prosperity of the world.
According to a report by the United Nations Commission on Water (UN-Water), more than 3 billion people worldwide depend on transboundary water sources.
In the current context of climate change impacts and increasing global population, we must unite to protect and preserve this precious resource. By working together to balance human rights and everyone’s need for water, water can be a stabilizing force and a catalyst for sustainable development today and tomorrow.
UN Water predicts that by 2040, about 20 countries will lack clean water
Climate change means that more than half of the world’s population is now suffering from severe water scarcity for at least one month every year.
The United Nations World Water Development Report says that currently, nearly 1 billion people are facing water scarcity. About 2-3 billion people suffer from water shortages for at least one month every year, while 3.6 billion people do not have access to safe sanitation. Meanwhile, population growth has caused global water demand to increase by about 1% per year over the past 40 years and will continue to increase at the same rate over the next 30 years.
Clean water is lacking and underground water sources are drying up
UN-Water predicts that by 2040, water scarcity will become more serious when up to 20 more countries may experience a shortage of clean water. So the real issue is not about water reserves, but how much clean water we have access to.
In fact, 97% of the liquid on earth is salt water, which has too many minerals for humans to drink or use for agriculture. Of the remaining 3% of available fresh water, more than two-thirds is frozen in ice caps and glaciers. That means there is less than 1% of the liquid available to sustain all life on Earth.
Climate change profoundly affects the world’s water resources
More worryingly, renewable water sources cannot meet demand, people have started pumping water out of finite underground reserves. The amount of water we use for drinking, cooking and cleaning accounts for only 3.6% of humanity’s water consumption. Of Earth’s 37 major underground reservoirs, 21 are on track to permanently dry up.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) 2023 report shows that water scarcity has affected 11% of the European Union (EU) population in 2023. In the South Asia region, more than 74% of the population must live in severe water shortages, while in the Middle East and North Africa this figure is 83%.
Behind this beauty is the risk of water depletion
WRI’s water allocation forecast map highlights the risk to food security, as 60% of irrigated crops are threatened by “extremely high” water stress, with many lakes containing fresh water, rivers and streams around the world are gradually drying up, and underground water resources are decreasing at a very rapid rate.
Theo TED-Ed, WRI
