TODAY IS WORLD WATER DAY: FACTS TO KNOW!
Today, March 22, is World Water Day, which is a United Nations mandated celebration aimed at increasing awareness about water scarcity, preservation and safe usage. The scarcity of water is still a significant problem in certain regions of the world, even though about three-fourths of the Earth's surface is covered by water. According to the UN website, the theme for World Water Day 2018 is ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century. Here are a couple of facts to know!
- "Damaged ecosystems affect the quantity and quality of water" - UN
- According to the UN, about 2.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water.
- The world’s total water supply is 332.5 million cubic miles.
- There are 663 million people who live without a safe water supply close to home
- Only about 3% of our water is saline-free because the oceans make up about 97% of the Earth's water.
- A significant portion of most countries' dirty wastewater flows back into the environment without treatment or reuse.