Adefolake: World Water Day! March 22

YAAAY! Today, March 22nd is World Water Day. The reason why this day is celebrated annually is to see how far we have come as regards water and where we are headed in the world.

Universal Solvent

Water, I believe is the most universal thing in the world because everyone needs it. As we know Water is called the “universal solvent” because it is capable of dissolving more substances than any other liquid.

World Water Day

December 22nd 1992 was the day World Water Day was declared after the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution, which was then observed from 1993 till date.

World Health Organization

Research by the World Health Organization published on February 7th, 2018 identified some key facts about water:

Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause 842 000 diarrhoea deaths each year, a large percentage being children and infants.
In low- and middle-income countries, 38% of health care facilities lack an improved water source, 19% do not have improved sanitation, and 35% lack water and soap for handwashing.
89% of the global population (6.5 billion people) used at least a basic service. A basic service is an improved drinking-water source within a round trip of 30 minutes to collect water.
In 2015, 71% of the global population (5.2 billion people) used a safely managed drinking-water service – that is, one located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination.
By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
844 million people lack even a basic drinking-water service, including 159 million people who are dependent on surface water.
Almost 240 million people are affected by schistosomiasis – an acute and chronic disease caused by parasitic worms contracted through exposure to infested water.

United Nations

In marking this day, the United Nations highlighted their observations on water thus far; which shows that:

Over 800 women die every day from complications in pregnancy and childbirth, in which lack of water or infected water is a factor.
One in four primary schools have no drinking water service, with pupils using unprotected sources or going thirsty.
700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.
For the 68.5 million people who have been forced to flee their homes, accessing safe water services is highly problematic.
Around 4 billion people – nearly two-thirds of the world’s population – experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.

Proliferation of Boreholes

I once wrote an article for Bellanaija on Proliferation of Boreholes & Negative Cumulative Impacts in Nigeria www.bellanaija.com/2018/10/adefolake-adekola-boreholes-impacts/.

Improved water supply and sanitation

How the numerous amount of boreholes in the country are causing severe water issues and ultimately leading to health challenges. UN SDG 6 (Sustainable Development Goal 6) is Improved water supply and sanitation which is important for everyone.

The main target for SDG 6 is provision of equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water.

According to the United Nations (UN), about 2.1 billion people lack safe water at home, putting them at risk of diseases such as: Cholera, Diarrhoea, Dysentery Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Polio.