World Water Day is celebrated every year on 22 March by the United Nations since 1993. The importance of the day goes around water sustainability and raising awareness of the 2 billion people currently living without access to safe water. A core focus of World Water Day is to inspire action towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
This year’s theme is GROUNDWATER – MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE.
Groundwater is the water present under the surface of the earth in rocks and soils and it comprises 30% of all the readily available freshwater. Groundwater mostly comes from precipitation which infiltrates the soil and is stored underground.
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Most of the freshwater in the liquid form in the world is groundwater, which is used in many forms such as for drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farming, industry, and ecosystems. In many places, human activities over-use and pollute groundwater. In other places, we simply do not know how much water is down there.
Groundwater will play a critical role in adapting to climate change. We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource.
Today, PrimeMinister Modi tweets on World Water Day, “Let’s reaffirm our pledge to save every drop of water. “
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2022
Why is the theme important?
“Groundwater – make the invisible visible” as the theme for water day 2022 holds prime importance. Groundwater is the most stable source of fresh water in the world however the overuse of this groundwater through methods such as pumping has led to its depletion at a fast rate. Since groundwater comes from precipitation it is a cycle that keeps the water table constant however overuse of groundwater does not allow the replenishment of water to take place under the earth. This will in turn cause the lack of water from other natural resources such as forests.
The theme not only draws attention towards the importance of groundwater but also towards the sustainability of this freshwater source.
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