March 22 was proclaimed World Water Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992, and has been celebrated ever since. In an effort to bring global awareness on the issues surrounding lack of suitable drinking water, the Roca We Are Water Foundation joins in on this celebration.
This year in particular, the Foundation wishes to emphasize the need to reduce and reuse water in an attempt to avoid wasting this precious element.
Why we Care? The Facts…
- There are still 663 million people around the world with no access to drinking water.
- One person dies every 20 seconds of an illness related to the misuse of water.
- 5% of the water in the oceans is salty. Another 1% can be found in aquifers and salt lakes. The percentage of fresh water over the total is of 2.5%. Out of this percentage, 0.78% is ground water that cannot be drawn due to its depth and 1.71% is ice in the polar caps and glaciers.
- The amount of fresh water that is accessible to man is only 0.007% of the total.
- A 10-minute-long shower wastes 200 litres of water.
- Between 2000 and 5000 litres of water are required to produce the daily food of one single person.
- More than 80% of the untreated wastewater is spilled into rivers and the sea.
- Every day, Europeans consume on average 100-320 litres of water for domestic use.
- One person wastes, on average, 7 litres when brushing his teeth.
- Through the investment in the recovery and reuse of water, it would be possible to save up to 90% of the energy and 70% of the water.
How Can I Help?
You may have already seen our Social Media campaign #NoWalking4Water. You may join in and take photos and videos expressing the need to bring suitable drinking water to the 663 million people around the world that lack this right by using the hashtag #NoWalking4Water. If you wish to go the extra mile, obtain a container that holds 15 liters of water so you may experience what it is like to carry this weight for extended periods of time. You may also download a picture of the drum to use in the photos you share by going to: http://www.wearewater.org/nowalking4water/en/#section-drink
Thank you for the support & Happy World Water Day!
