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| Sunday, 19 March 2006 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Water is life Water, although we may not think of it that way, is the most precious liquid on Earth. It's one of the best things that Mother Nature has provided us, and a resource that should be preserved and protected for our future generations. Water is a resource that is fast depleting, and it's assumed that humans will have to face a severe water shortage by 2050. This shows the urgency of the situation. As we celebrate World Water Day on March 22, we have to think how important water is to our lives and why we shouldn't waste it.
The events regarding World Water Day will be spearheaded this year by UNESCO under the theme 'Water and Culture'. The theme draws attention to the fact that there are as many ways of viewing, using and celebrating water as there are cultural traditions across the world. Cultural traditions, indigenous practices and societal values determine how people appreciate and manage water in the different regions of the world. The years 2005 to 2015 were also declared as the International Decade for Action on "Water for Life" by the United Nations General Assembly, at its 58th session in December 2003. The goals of the Decade, which kicked off on March 22, 2005, are aimed at focusing on implementing water-related programmes and projects, increasing women's involvement in water-related development efforts and advancing cooperation at all levels, to work towards water-related goals. One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce by half, the number of people without access to clean water and safe sanitation, by 2015. This will be the second UN-declared international decade on water-related issues. The first, on Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, observed from 1981 to 1990, brought water to over a billion people, and sanitation to almost 770 million. However, much more needs to be done. Access to safe water and sanitation facilities are among the basic human rights. The water problem on Earth has already raised its head. Did you know that there are almost 1.1 billion people (20 per cent of the world's population) who don't have adequate access to water, and 2.4 billion (40 per cent of the population) without appropriate sanitation? Each year, more than 2.2 million people, mostly children under five, die from problems associated with lack of water and sanitation. More than 6,000 children die everyday from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. In developing countries, about 80 per cent of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions. At any time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases. The resolution to declare March 22 as World Day for Water was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 22, 1992, and observing the day started in 1993. |
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