Many people take it for granted, but water is essential for life. World Water Day is celebrated Sunday, March 22 to simply celebrate water. The United Nations started the campaign 22 years ago to show how water makes a difference to areas of the world where there are water-related problems.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement for WWD 2015: "To address the many challenges related to water, we must work in a spirit of urgent cooperation, open to new ideas and innovation, and prepared to share the solutions that we all need for a sustainable future."
To celebrate water, and its official day, some facts have been provided below, courtesy of Water.org:
- 394 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean are without water access
- 358 million people in Africa are without water access
- 195 million people in Southeast, East Asia and Oceania are without water access
- 9 million people are without water access in developed countries
- More than 840,000 people die from a water-related disease each year. That could be from diarrhea caused by derisory drinking water, hygiene and sanitation. It translates to 2,300 deaths per day.
- About 750 million people do not have access to clean water, which is approximately 1 in every 9 people
- 82 percent of people who don’t have access to “improved” water live in rural areas
- There are more people who have a mobile phone than access to a toilet.
- Women and children spend 140 million hours collecting fresh water every day
- 1 child dies from a water-related illness each day
- There is a $4 economic return for each dollar that is spent on water and sanitation
- The amount of safe water could drop by 40 percent in 15 years if people do not change the way they use water
Article by Maria Vultaggio, originally posted at the International Business Times
