Yet another World Water Day

posted on 16th March 2018, ENVIRONMENT

Renewed hope, stronger resolutions

Yet another World Water Day is around the corner. The world will be awash with events, messages and calls to action for the cause of water. Rallies and festivities will mark the day and the media will showcase World Water Day with all the fanfare it deserves. As World Water Day 2018 passes, we might all go back to ‘water slumber’ and wake up for the next one.

But let’s try and make this year a little different. Let’s recognize that the trends with regard to water are not good. They have not been good for years. The data doesn’t change, the situation worsens and we seem to take water for granted, as we do with the air we breathe. Consider the facts:

There are more than 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home.
Nearly 97 per cent of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2 per cent is in glaciers or ice caps. That leaves only one per cent of the water to fulfill all our needs.
India, one of the fastest growing economies and home to almost a fifth of the world’s population, was ranked in an annual Water Aid survey as having the greatest number of people living rurally without access to clean water: 63 million.
Closer to home, Bengaluru was ranked in a recent BBC report as the world’s second city likely to soon run out of drinking water.
Is this the world we want to leave behind for our children? The answer is an obvious NO. Let’s then take some ‘water positive’ actions this year. Let’s look around us. What are the resources we have, which we can preserve and conserve? What are the little things we can do to save big, like attending to leaky taps, using less water for everyday tasks like taking a shower, or washing our cars?

Let’s expand our world a bit. Is your neighbourhood lake in good shape? Can you do anything to make a difference? Do you want to be involved in keeping our world, and more importantly your city/town/village water secure? If the answer is yes to all the questions that threaten water security, then click here

Wake the Lake is an initiative of United Way Bengaluru that has been successful in reclaiming and restoring several lakes which were on the verge of total collapse and ruin, by clearing them of sewage, improving the quality of water and turning them into active community spaces.

You too can engage with us by volunteering, donating, advocating or simply visiting any of the lakes we have rejuvenated, with your family and friends. Write to us to for more at info@uwbengaluru.org

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