Each of us, by changing our behavior and the way we use, consume and manage water in our lives, can make a difference in accelerating change to solve the global water crisis: this is the message of World Water Day 2023, which occurs on March 22 and which has the slogan “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Water crisis and drought: a global emergency
The data regarding the planet’s water resources are disheartening. Global water use has increased 6-fold in the last century and continues to grow steadily at a rate of approximately 1% annually due to population growth and changing patterns of resource production and consumption.
Around 4 billion people are already experiencing severe water shortages for at least one month a year due to water stress and the world could face a 40% water shortage by 2030.
We are therefore a long way from achieving the SDG 6 sustainable development goal: ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030. The global water crisis is a serious and growing threat to human health, the global economy, and political and social stability, and it is essential that governments, businesses and individuals do more to protect Earth’s most precious resource.
More action is needed to accelerate change
World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March, an event established by the United Nations in 1992 and foreseen in the directives of Agenda 21, the result of the Rio conference.
From 22 to 24 March, the governments of the United Nations will meet in a conference to discuss the water crisis and to launch a Water Action Agenda in which concrete actions to be taken in the years to come will be defined.
This year, the World Water Day awareness campaign is inspired by a story featuring a hummingbird.
“One day a fire broke out in the forest. All the animals ran for their lives.
They stood at the edge of the fire, watching the flames in terror and sadness.
Overhead, a hummingbird flew back and forth towards the fire, over and over.
The larger animals asked the hummingbird what he was doing.
«I’m flying to the lake to get water to put out the fire.»
The animals laughed at him and said: «You’re crazy, you can’t put out this fire!»
The hummingbird replied: «I’m doing what I can.»”
Even if the global goals are ambitious, with everyone’s help great results can be achieved and every action has the power to make a difference, and there are many initiatives that have been undertaken around the world to protect the water resource.
Create your own to-do list by consulting the list of Project Everyone!
Since 1958, ISOIL Industria has also been committed to promoting proper water resource management and waste reduction by providing water metering systems, water loss detection instruments and multi-parameter probes for water quality analysis.
To find the tools and solutions best suited to your needs, do not hesitate to contact our specialists.