"Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink"
The poem above highlights the predicament of a thirsty sailor, who is surrounded by seawater but can’t drink it. Today’s context is quite similar. Given the condition of natural resources today, water pollution has rendered many of the natural resources not safe for drinking and other consumption purposes.
Approximately 2.2 billion people do not have basic drinking water services, 4.2 billion people do not have basic sanitation services, and 3 billion lack handwashing facilities around the world.
Lack of basic water facilities across the globe
World water day
March 22 is annually observed as World Water Day to bring about awareness on the importance of freshwater and ensure sustainable management of its various resources. Every year, a theme is attached to the day.
Themes of world water day for last 5 years
| Years | Theme |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Water and Sustainable Development |
| 2016 | Water and Jobs |
| 2017 | Why waste water? |
| 2018 | Nature for Water |
| 2019 | Leaving no one behind |
| 2020 | Water and Climate Change |
World Water Day 2020 Theme
The 2020 theme is "Water and Climate Change" and it attempts to address the impact of climate change on water resources.
Everyone has a responsibility to do something to save water as extreme weather changes are contributing to scarcity, unpredictability, and pollution of water.
Water Crisis in India
Approximately 80% of India’s surface water is polluted; the Central Pollution Control Board has estimated that domestic sewerage contributes to 75% of water pollution by volume. Besides, in recent years, the untreated sewage that flows into water bodies including rivers has also doubled. Groundwater depletion and extreme pollution have added to the social and economic crisis.
Over the past few years, there has been a growing need for India’s water requirements.
One billion people in India live in areas of physical water scarcity, of which 600 million are in areas of high to extreme water stress.
Children of 100 million families do not have water at home.
Lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene accounts for the loss of 40 lakh lives annually in India.
Importance of water
Water is an extremely important part of our lives. It is used for irrigation, cooking, washing, cleaning, drinking, etc. Water is essential for maintaining good health as it helps in regulating body temperature, carries out normal functioning, aids in digestion and removes toxins from the body.
Water is life. Without proper sanitation, the risk of epidemics is not unfounded.
- Maintaining proper hygiene standards in one’s locality and around is the key.
- Ensuring safe drinking water is critical as many water-borne diseases (21% of the disease in India are water-borne) can affect the inhabitants, especially the young ones.
- The common symptoms can start with fever, stomach pain, diarrhea, which if not timely treated can lead to serious complications.
Hence, we are seeing more and more people reaching out to online doctors.
Moreover, with the summers around the corner, one also needs to keep oneself hydrated.
How to save Water?
Charity begins at home. So, to bring about a change in the ecosystem, we need to start at the individual level by preventing water wastage and maintaining proper hygiene standards.
Thus, for all purposes - drinking, domestic and office purposes, at first, there needs to be the availability of clean water. Human-built dams store water, which helps in the irrigation of surrounding land. They also generate energy and regulate the river flow. Besides, understanding the water cycle also helps set up proper infrastructures that build and protect healthy ecosystems.
Thus, simple practices of preventing water wastage, good hygiene standards, coupled with our understanding of nature’s resources will eventually lead to sustainable conservation of freshwater sources that help all life to thrive!
Looking for Medical Advice?
FAQ
World water day focuses on the importance of water, issues related to the scarcity of water and creating awareness in people through campaigns to learn and save water.
Water is important to regulate body temperature, normal functioning, and removal of wastes from the body.
Small steps like turn off the water while brushing and shaving, fix all leaks, use automatic washing machine, or dishwasher for a full load only, etc can prevent water wastage.
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are going through the water crisis.
