World Water Day - March 22

➡️ World Water Day | March 22 – Conservation and Protection

Established by the United Nations in 1993 as a response to the worsening water crisis, World Water Day plays an important role in raising awareness about the importance of freshwater and the sustainable management of water resources.

With the majority of the world's population living in water-insecure countries and 2.2 billion people living without access to safely managed drinking water services, there is an urgent need to tackle the global water crisis.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ World Water Day

Explore our comprehensive guides on -

• Oceans

• Freshwater and Groundwater

• The Human Right to Water

• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

• The Arctic Region and Antarctica

• The Ocean Plastics Crisis

• Ocean Protection

• Water Privatisation

• The Climate Crisis

• The Sustainable Development Goals

   

Sustainable Development Goal 6 aims to achieve clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. The world is currently alarmingly off-track to meet any of the targets adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 at the COP21 Paris Climate Conference.

The 2023 Global Water Security Assessment indicated that two-thirds of the world's population will continue to live water-insecure well beyond 2030. Here are some more facts which highlight the severity of the water crisis and the need for accelerated action.

• 1 in 11 people worldwide - 703 million people - lack access to clean water.

• Women and girls worldwide spend a collective 250 million hours carrying water daily. They walk an average of 6 kms every day carrying 20 kg of water.

• Every day, more than 1,000 children under 5 die from preventable diseases related to a lack of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.

• 1.7 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation.

• 419 million people still practice open defecation.

• Between 2002 and 2021, droughts affected more than 1.4 billion people.

   

World Water Day 2025 - Glacier Preservation

Each year, the United Nations focuses on a theme related to clean water, sanitation, hygiene, and conserving our planet's waters. This year highlights the need to protect our glaciers, which are melting at an unprecedented rate. In 2023, glaciers lost more than 600 gigatons of water, the largest mass loss registered in 50 years.

Higher temperatures due to climate change have increased the frequency of heat waves, resulted in less snow and more rain, and increased the length of summers. Increased glacier melting contributes significantly to global sea-level rise, with today's sea level about 20 cm higher than in 1900. The rapid melting of glaciers results in devastating floods, droughts, and landslides.

Glaciers are important indicators of climate change and critical life sources. Nearly 2 billion people rely on water from glaciers, snowmelt and mountain run-off for drinking, agriculture, and energy production. Vast glacial ice cover protects our Earth by reflecting excess heat back into space. Glaciers also help transport vital nutrients into lakes, rivers, and oceans.

The majority of glaciers around the world are now shrinking. Many are retreating so rapidly that they may vanish within decades. Scientists project that two-thirds of the Arctic's near-surface permafrost could be gone by 2100. As permafrost decomposes, it emits huge amounts of stored greenhouse gases, further amplifying climate change.

By raising awareness, promoting water conservation, and inspiring action, World Water Day helps to foster a better understanding of the urgency of the water crisis. We simply must reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to slow down glacial retreat. The sustainable management of meltwater is crucial, as well as the preservation of these vital resources for future generations.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 23.03.25 licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

For more information on World Water Day see below ⬇️