World Water Day

Did you know that today, March 22, is World Water Day? If you didn’t, here is a quick primer about what World Water Day is, why it is important, and what you can do.

Water World Day 2011 Logo
Photo Credit: UNWater.org

What is World Water Day?
World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, 1992. This day takes place every year on March 22, and hopes to raise awareness, and funds, about issues ranging from water conservation, clean drinking water, digging new wells, and water sanitation and hygiene.

World Water Day 2011 is focusing on the provision of clean water in urban areas.

Why is World Water Day Important?

According to Water.org:

  • Approximately one in eight people lack access to safe water supplies.
  • Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.
  • People living in slums often pay five to ten times more for a liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city.
  • Millions of women and children in developing countries spend hours collecting water for daily needs. This water is often distant and polluted.
  • At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with patients suffering from diseases associated with the lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
  • Almost two out of three people in need of safe drinking water survive on less than $2 a day, and one in three survive on less than $1 a day.
  • Less than 1 percent of the world’s drinking water is easily accessible for human use.

What can you do?

Mashable has a great list for online resources for World Water Day.

Another great way to help is to make an effort to conserve water. Check out these All Green blog posts about water and water conservation:

What do you do to conserve water?

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