Did you know that there is the same amount of water on earth today as there was when the earth is formed? Or that just 1% of the world’s water is suitable for all of humanity’s needs? Or that both a human brain and a living tree are made up of 75% water? There are so many fascinating facts about water (you can learn more from the EPA here), along with so many reasons to celebrate, protect, understand, and equally share this most precious resource that we have. 

Why World Water Day?

Dysfunction throughout the water cycle undermines progress on all major global issues, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, and disasters to peace. According to the UN, 

  • 1.4 million people die annually and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WHO 2022)
  • Today, 1 in 4 people (2 billion people worldwide) lack safe drinking water (WHO/UNICEF 2021)
  • Almost half of the global population (3.6 billion people) lack safe sanitation (WHO/UNICEF 2021)
  • Globally, 44% of household wastewater is not safely treated (UN-Water 2021)
  • Global water demand (in water withdrawals) is projected to increase by 55% by 2050 (OECD 2012)

In 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 as part of the 2030 Agenda – the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030. Yet billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centers, farms, and factories are being held back because their human rights to water and sanitation still need to be fulfilled.

World Water Day (22nd of March) is a United Nations observance coordinated by UN-Water that raises awareness and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. The 2023 WWD theme is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. March 22nd will also kick off the 2023 UN Water Conference in New York, NY. National governments and stakeholders from all levels of society will come together to commit to action. This Conference will launch the Water Action Agenda, which will include commitments from people around the world.

How To Honor World Water Day

Since water is critical to each of us and every species on this planet, everyone can take ownership to make a change for the better.

You can learn more about what is being done in your area of the globe right here, where you can also learn about and commit to simple yet effective solutions that you can start doing today, like hand washing your dishes and turning the water off when not rinsing. Also, be sure to check out this short animated film that tells the story of the global water and sanitation crisis as if the world were just 100 people. 

If you have students who are motivated to take action, why not use this opportunity to help them understand how important engineering is to access of clean water around the world? These TryEngineering career pathways on environmental engineering, civil engineering and agriculture and food engineering are a great place to start. Also be sure to check out these water-themed lesson plans like Irrigation Ideas and Filtration Investigation. 

What will you do to celebrate world water day and help make clean and safe water accessible to all of the world?