Water for prosperity and peace, is the theme at this year’s launching of the World Water Day in Paris on March 22, 2024.
The launch is organised by UNESCO, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe — the co-chairs of the World Water Day 2024 campaign on behalf of UN-Water. The UN on December 22, 1992 declared March 22 as ‘World Day for Water’, which has been observed since 1993.
Member nations were invited to celebrate the day, as appropriate in the national context, to enhance activities such as the promotion of public awareness through the publication and diffusion of documentaries, and the organisation of conferences, discussions, seminars, and expositions related to the conservation and development of water resources.
In Fiji
In Fiji, the annual “World Water Day” has been celebrated with great enthusiasm by many stakeholders since 1993.
This is a timely latitude in advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources by 2030 and beyond. It is also about taking action to grapple with the global water crisis, in support of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Water and Sanitation.
Sustainable water supply and management generate an overabundance of benefits to individuals and communities, including health, food, energy security, protection from natural disasters, education, improved living standards, employment, economic development, and a variety of other essential services.
It is through these benefits that water leads to peace and prosperity. We humans need wholesome water for its metabolism processes whereby the body changes food and water into energy.
This energy is converted into building blocks of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. It includes breathing, digestion, perspiration, and excretion.
There is a minimum requirement to drink say two or more litres in a day. No living organism may survive without water however, there are some exceptions for species of pathogens.
Ninety-five per cent of Fiji’s population has safe drinking water, whereas in towns and cities, 78 per cent of the urban population enjoys chlorinated drinking water. In addition, the majority of towns have water-borne, reticulated sewerage systems.
There are eight NGOs, headed by the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) as a commercial entity, providing water supply to all areas in Fiji.
Moreover, climatic conditions such as El Nino also cause a dearth of adequate rainfall which deters to meet the demands of the drought-stricken populace. This will also mean carting water to outer islands and remote places with increased costs.
Despite water conservation techniques, prolonged droughts have problems of many sicknesses, which require minimum standards of hygiene and sanitation in addition to other needs.
Background on water
Fresh water on planet Earth has only a tiny proportion that is available to humans. About 97 per cent of ocean water is too salty for drinking, except 3 per cent and 2.97 per cent is locked up in ice caps or buried too deep to extract (Miller Jr.,1994).
Only 0.03 per cent of fresh water is available for us to utilise from various sources. There are three parameters to gauge the quality of drinking water per se, physical, chemical, and biological.
Moreover, the hydrological cycle is the natural system in which we receive adequate rainfall which feeds the entire ecosystem. It is by the precipitation or rainfall. Unfortunately, average precipitation differs in many regions and countries.
As such fresher water is drawn more rapidly than replenished due to the rise in urbaniSation and population growth. Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water for the 1.5 billion population in the world and according to National Geographic Channel, 30 per cent of the available fresh water is stored in aquifers. It makes them one of the most important water resources on earth.
Water scarcity
People need fresh water for survival, agriculture, industry, and commerce. Water scarcity is related to water stress or water crisis which means a lack of water to meet added demands than supply.
It also means a lack of investments in infrastructure to draw water from rivers, aquifers, or from other sources.
On the other hand, the main driver for fresh water is the increased population growth which means, changing diets (switching to animal-based foods), the rise in living conditions, agriculture, and increased effects of climate change and weather patterns such as droughts. The expensive infrastructure costs are required to provide water in new locations.
This has to do with added capital works, new construction sites, watershed areas, reservoirs, new mains, and land for new water-reticulated areas.
Among the other concerns is the timeworn water mains with frequent leakages which is a growing threat to authorities and consumers. Many of these are undetected, which reduces the volume of water to meet daily needs.
Many developing countries such as India, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Panama are having many problems related to waterborne infectious diseases.
This has to do with women spending many hours fetching for drinking water from remote areas and having much stress (UNICEF, 2008). Poverty is another issue that has been affecting millions of people in these countries and has directly affected their health, welfare, and safety.
Activities observed in celebration
There have been numerous exhibitions and activities planned at the celebrating venues for the day. It includes government departments such as the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Waterways and Water Authority of Fiji.
In addition, there are NGOs, such as Live Learn, SPC, SOPAC, Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation, and the Embassy of Japan.
All these organisations and government departments display their activities to support the said international day by way of charts, videos, slide shows, pamphlets, panel discussion forums, etc. The attendees are generally members of the public, students (primary, secondary, and also tertiary, as well as researchers and experts.
This exhibition will have a great impact on those who attend the program for the day, and observe the activities depicted with other presentations.
Conclusion
To maintain sustainable development everyone needs to appreciate the importance of different ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, mountains, rivers, and seas. Destruction of these will mean a lot of drastic consequences which people all have to face sooner or later.
More awareness needs to be aroused before the spell of dry season observed from June to September, and everyone needs to be well prepared. Despite, Fiji receiving adequate rainfall, the dry months have much impact on our economy and social life.
The axiom that we all need to use the water sparingly as metered water has costs attached. Every drop wasted goes with costs attached. The day is important for everyone to progress with peace to observe the theme.
- n Keshwa N Krishna contributes to the Letter to the Editor section of this newspaper. The views in this article are his and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
