World Water Day is observed annually on March 22 to raise awareness about the vital importance of water to everything from public health and youth education to economic development and gender equality. The theme for World Water Day 2019, “Leaving None Behind” is based on a core pledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—that everyone must benefit from progress.
Globally, 663 million people still lack access to safe drinking water sources—the very resource on which a healthy, productive life depends. Even for those who have access, services are often inadequate to meet basic needs. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 30 percent to 50 percent of rural systems are nonfunctional within five years of being built, and utilities in urban areas often ration water servicing. Similarly, water is often contaminated from urban, industrial, and agricultural pollutants that can compromise non-piped water systems, even those that are classified as improved water sources. Many of those who lack access to basic water services also live in conflict-affected states with poor governance, insecure tenure, high rates of poverty, and weak institutions. In countries with a history of conflict and civil unrest, the impact of refugees has further deteriorated the condition of water supply services.
Access to water is a human right and we are therefore aimed to reach the following objectives:
- Increasing the number of people with access to basic drinking water services
- Improving the ability of education and health facilities to provide and manage water services adequately in schools and clinics
- Catalyzing increased financing for the operations and maintenance of water systems, including through investing in innovative financial vehicles
- Improving the quality and reliability of drinking water
- Increasing the number of people with access to safely managed drinking water services
Water is a source for life and every sing person and species in our planet have the right to access to it.