A Message from Yap CRE on World Water Day 2018
World Water Day is an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issues. It is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the Earth Summit in 1992. Later, the United Nations adopted a resolution to observe 22 March of each year as World Day for Water in conformity with the Agenda 21 recommendations.
Each year, UN-Water — the entity that coordinates the UN’s work on water and sanitation — sets a theme for World Water Day corresponding to a current or future challenge. The theme of 2018 World Water Day is ‘Nature for Water.’ It explores how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century.
Environmental damage, together with climate change, is driving the water-related crises all over the world. Small islands are severely affected by water crises. When we neglect our ecosystems, we make it harder to provide everyone with the water we need to survive and thrive.
Nature-based solutions have the potential to solve many of our water challenges, including floods, drought and water pollution. Extreme weather induced events like landslides and floods are all made worse by degraded vegetation, land, soil, rivers and lakes. We need to do so much more with ‘green’ infrastructure and harmonize it with ‘grey’ infrastructure wherever possible. Planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands will rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods.
Water is an essential building block of life. It is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health; it is vital for economic, social, and human development. Let Greening the blue be our motto.
Today, wherever you are and whatever you do, make it about nature and water. Happy World Water Day!
