It’s a sad but true fact that 783 million people around the world still do not have access to clean water. Over 2.5 million people still do not have proper access to adequate sanitation facilities. This sad lack of such basic human needs is a tragedy that people around the world are seeking to redress.
This is also why the United Nations has set up World Water Day – a day where people can focus on the many ways ordinary people can get involved in helping people reclaim some dignity, and improve their long-term health through access to clean and safe water. Other water issues such as safeguarding aquatic eco-systems are also highlighted every year on this day. We need our water in all its forms!
Water is such a precious commodity that many take for granted. World Water Day is a chance to think about those people and places where water needs are still paramount, and seek to work together to find a solution.
- Over 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.
- The recommended daily intake of water is 8 cups per day, but it can come through the consumption of food as well.
- There’s more fresh water stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
- Drinking too much water too quickly causes water intoxication, caused by reduced sodium (salt) levels in the blood stream. Some confuse this with a “runner’s high”.
- Of all the water on the earth, humans can use about three tenths of a percent of it for drinking water.
- Roughly 75% of all industrial water withdrawals are used for energy production.
The world water day is a mean of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
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