We use water almost everywhere we go; it’s in the bottles we drink, in a garden’s watering can, in a kitchen’s steamer, and in the bathroom where we use it for bathing and brushing our teeth. Over 70% of the earth’s surface is water!
Celebrating and examining the importance of water and how we connect with it, as well as encouraging discussion about how we may reinvent our relationship with this valuable resource, will help us take steps to preserve one of our most precious resources
But why do we do it and how?
Water is Life
All life on Earth is built on the basis of water and it is maintained thanks to the water cycle. It is essential for long-term development, healthy ecosystems, and humanity’s survival. However, this most valuable resource is finite, and it must be prudently used. Many of the world’s most urgent issues, such as climate change, food security, and conflict, intertwine with water and only effective water governance, integrated resource management and collaboration can address it.
In 1993, World Water Day was designated as a UN commemoration day. Its goal is to draw attention to the world’s water crisis. As a result, every year on March 22nd, people and organizations commemorate World Water Day by taking action to address the global water crisis.
All in all, everyone has a responsibility to play in conserving our most valuable resource, and World Water Day will highlight this through storytelling and dialogues with professionals and thought leaders.
Why is Water Important?
It is essential for your health to drink enough water on a daily basis. You can avoid dehydration, which can cause sluggish thinking, mood swings, overheating, constipation, and kidney stones, by drinking plenty of water.
Water benefits your body in the following ways:
- It helps maintain a comfortable temperature.
- Water lubricates and cushions joints.
- our spinal cord and other sensitive tissues are better-protected thanks to water.
- Water helps the waste management. Urinate, sweat, and bowel movements are all ways to get rid of waste through the use of water.
You lose water every day through your breath, perspiration, urine, and bowel movements, so it’s critical to drink plenty of water throughout the day so as not to get dehydrated. Dehydration, which is the lack of enough water supplying the body, is a big problem: it causes you to become dizzy, fatigued, and you will get headaches.
That is why you must refill your body’s water supply with water-containing beverages and foods in order for it to function properly.
Groundwater: Making the Invisible, Visible
The theme for this year’s World Water Day is “Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible.” Groundwater, water that is found underground in the patches and crevices of soil, rock, and even sand, is an important aspect of the water cycle and a key water resource that must have sustainable management, despite the fact that people often overlook it.
Aquifers are underground reservoirs that contain groundwater. An aquifer is a geological formation (or a part of one) made up of permeable material capable of storing and yielding large amounts of water. Unconsolidated sands and gravels, permeable sedimentary rocks such as sandstones or limestones, fractured volcanic and crystalline rocks, and other minerals can all be found in aquifers.
Rainwater and snowmelt naturally recharge groundwater, as does the water that leaks through the bottoms of some lakes and rivers. The management of aquifer recharge can use strategies that increase the amount of water entering the ground.
The presence of groundwater is practically anywhere. The variety of elements, including the region’s physical qualities, weather circumstances, and recharge and extraction rates determine the depth of the water table. Heavy rains may cause the water table to rise due to its increasing recharging. A prolonging stretch of dry weather, on the other hand, may cause the water table to drop.
Although groundwater is invisible, you can see how its impact is everywhere. Groundwater is a secret gem that enhances our lives, hidden beneath our feet and out of sight. Groundwater makes up nearly all of the world’s liquid freshwater. It will become increasingly important as climate change worsens. To manage this valuable resource sustainably, we must work together. Although groundwater is out of sight, it must not be out of our minds.
Ways You Can Protect Groundwater
Protecting groundwater is important because people use it as a drinking source and also as the main source for growing foods and crops. In addition, it also helps in industrial processes ranging from fabrication to cooling. Factories that produce chemical products also use it.
There certainly are ways to protect groundwater and some of them are:
- Going Native. Use native plants! They won’t need much watering and fertilizer too!
- Reduce Chemical Use. Reduce the amount of chemicals you use in your house and yard.
- Manage Waste. Dispose of potentially harmful material properly.
- Don’t Let Water Run. Shut the water off when not in use.
- Fix the Drip. Check all the faucets, fixtures, toilets, and taps. Fix the leaks.
- Wash Smarter. Challenge yourself to shower in a short period of time.
- Water Smartly. Make sure you obey any watering restrictions during dry periods.
- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Reduce stuff you use and reuse and recycle what you can.
- Natural Alternatives. Use natural or organic products.
- Learning and Doing More! Be more involved!
The University of Birmingham will hold the 2022 World Water Day Symposium to commemorate UN World Water Day. The UNESCO Chair in Water Sciences and UNESCO UNITWIN network on Ecohydrological Interfaces at Birmingham, as well as the University’s Institute of Global Innovation, is hosting this hybrid event (on our Dubai and Edgbaston campuses).
In light of World Water Day, Euromercato encourages staying hydrated and drinking clean refreshing water.