Today is World Water Day, all the world’s occasion to celebrate all things water, and the life it affords us all. But for over a billion people on this watery planet, there is still not enough of the wondrous stuff to go around, at least not clean H2O. And sadly, fully one third of Earth’s people have access to proper sanitation. Spinning on a world that should be the cleanest speck in the Universe, Earth’s inhabitants live in filth.
To mark this year’s celebration, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report which clearly shows why the people of Earth should invest in water now, and in the future. And today, more than at any other time, interested parties are hoping this and other reports will grab the attention of world policy makers. For the sustainable future, there is probably not one resource which demands sustainable impact initiative more.
Without getting into the scientific microanalysis of this study, suffice it to say that access to fresh water and sanitation corresponds directly with improved living conditions and a better life. At both ends of the spectrum, people around the world live longer and more prosperous lives largely depending on their access to this resource. Conversely, the world suffers an unimaginable loss of potential because her people suffer. World Water Day this year is all about Water and Cities as the down-loadable banner below suggests.
World Water Day 2001 events are going on worldwide, click here to find out where
The International World Water Day initiative began back in 1992 with the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Held in Rio de Janeiro, near the Amazon delta actually, ironically that area of the world is one of the hardest hit by lacking water resources and sanitation still – and in many ways more so now. With the rain forests quickly disappearing in Brazil, many experts fear global effects on a massive scale. We urge everyone reading this to investigate this vital initiative.
Iguazu Falls, during peak recorded flow, the largest waterfall in the world
The reader should check out all the great information at The Encyclopedia of Earth website, as well as the WWD 2001 official site or the official UN site. In fact, the Encyclopedia of Earth sections on fresh water biomes is quite informative and easy to navigate. The image above of Iguazu Falls just illustrates the power of that magical element we cannot live without. The video below gives some idea, a feeling of water, from the biggest waterfall of them all – draining the whole Amazon basin between Argentina and Brazil. Enjoy and think; “How, on a planet made of water, can so many suffer from the lack thereof?”
About Phil Butler
