Water is made of just two elements, hydrogen and oxygen, but is the most abundant molecule on earth. Over 70% of Earth’s surface, or 333 million cubic miles, is water. Not only is water found in oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, ice caps, glaciers, and clouds, it’s also found in the body of every living creature on earth. In fact, 60% of your body is made of water.
Water is essential to life. Despite how much of it there is, 844 million people don’t have access to clean water. Water scarcity is linked to a number of problems, but man-made crises such as industrial pollution, climate change, and aging infrastructure are largely to blame. Without enough water for drinking, bathing, hand washing, irrigation, and other necessities, communities easily fall victim to poverty, starvation, and the spread of disease.
What is World Water Day?
Since 1993, World Water Day has been celebrated on March 22 as a way to create awareness around the world’s water crisis. The theme of World Water Day 2021 is “valuing water,” with a goal to make water and sanitation available to everyone by the year 2030.
“The value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment,” states the United Nations on its website. “If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource.”
How Can You Celebrate World Water Day?
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, World Water Day will be celebrated online. Register here for free. You can also celebrate World Water Day by sharing digital messages with people you know, and by joining social media conversations about the importance of water and what water means to you.