World Water Day - March 22, 2025

What is World Water Day?

World Water Day helps to raise awareness of the importance of freshwater and draws attention to over two billion people without access to clean water. It also helps to support the conservation goal of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for All by 2030.

Around 2.2 billion people worldwide suffer from the lack of safe drinking water, but people take water for granted. As water is readily available in the U.S., it is not conserved as much. This water observance day of the United Nations advocates the sustainable management of freshwater resources. On this day, the United Nations also reflects on the global water crisis.

World Water Day All Quick Overview

• Time / Date: March 22
• Category: Cause
• Where It’s Marked: Globally
• Why It’s Marked: The day marks the celebration of water and focuses on the importance of freshwater and water resources.

History Of World Water Day

World Water Day was first proposed in Agenda 21 in Rio de Janeiro, where the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development took place in 1992. Then the United Nations General Assembly incorporated a resolution later in December 1992, which declared March 22 as World Water Day. This declaration led to the celebration of the first World Water Day on March 22, 1993.

Although the first celebration had no specific theme, in the later years, the United Nations always dedicated a theme for the day to focus on one cause at a time. Here are some examples of the event's themes: Sanitation (2008), Water and Food Security (2012), Better Water Better Jobs (2016), Leaving No One Behind (2019), Valuing water (2021), Groundwater Making the Invisible Visible (2022).

Later, new events were introduced to World Water Day, such as the International Year of Cooperation in the Water Sphere (2013) and the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development (2018-2028). This event is continuing and will continue till 2028. 

Above all, these events and celebrations have the same common goal and message: to tackle the global water crisis, to make safe and clean water available to all, to raise awareness of the conservation of water, and to have sustainable management of water resources.

Sustainable water management and clean water can help to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and make the environment sustainable for the future.

How to Celebrate World Water Day

The United Nations and different countries organize seminars and events on World Water Day to celebrate water and raise awareness for conservation and people with no access to safe water.

In 2022, the theme for World Water Day was “Groundwater—Making the Invisible Visible.” Groundwater has been a major source of water for a long time for many third-world countries. Although it is under our feet, this hidden treasure is truly a blessing in everyone’s life.

But as pollution increases and climate change occurs, groundwater will get polluted or finished leading to a world crisis. World Water Day, 2022, focused on this hidden gem and organized seminars, campaigns, and volunteer opportunities to spread awareness.

Moreover, in the Mekong region, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Asia Centre, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Chulalongkorn University (CU), and Thailand's Department of Groundwater Resources under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment hosted an event and seminar to highlight their work and partnerships in achieving the SDG 6: Water and Sanitation for all by 2030. 

In 2020, the United Nations emphasized hand-washing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN and non-governmental organizations like WASH, WaterAid, and UNICEF used the day to raise awareness and get media attention for sanitation and water issues. They organized seminars, expositions, banners, films, publications, and round tables to shine a light on the cause.

Aside from official events, educational institutions also partake in the World Water Way to educate people about the importance of conservation and sustainable management of water resources. For example, in 2017, Michigan State University held a World Water Day poster competition which helped students learn more about conservation, water resources, water management, and its overall importance.

Countries that observe World Water Day

World Water Day is observed globally by over 140 countries.

Interesting Facts about World Water Day

World Water Day is a cry for help for many people without safe water access. Here are some World Water Day facts to enlighten your knowledge on the importance of water in everyone’s lives.

1. Currently, only 2 of 3 people have access to safe water.
2. Fifty percent of schools worldwide have no hand washing facilities for students.
3. 360,000 infants can be saved annually with adequate water supply and sanitation.
4. 784 million people have no basic access to water.
5. An unhygienic water supply causes a child’s death by diarrhea every 60 seconds.
6. Death of people occurs more due to the lack of safe water than any other form of violence.
7. Around 297,000 children under the age of five die of diarrhoeal diseases.
8. Two billion people do not have access to a toilet or latrine.

Unique World Water Day Celebration Ideas

If you want to help the cause of water conservation and safety, here are three unique ideas to celebrate the day as well as help raise awareness.

1. Try to reduce your water footprint. Next time you keep your water running when working, close it to save water. Reusing water is also a great way to reduce water footprint. Moreover, don’t waste water when you work or even shower. In the long run, you will see a difference in contributing to the cause.
2. Volunteer on beach or lake clean-up activities whenever you have the chance. Bring your family and friends to enjoy the time together while helping a cause. Moreover, even if there is no volunteer work in your area, you can take the initiative to clean nearby water resources.
3. Raise awareness about clean water and sustainable water management. You may think, what can one person do? Well, if one person spreads awareness, society will be aware. So, on World Water Day, let your family and friends know the importance of water.

World Water Day Quotes

World Water Day needs all the help it can get to spread the message of the importance of water. Here are a few quotes or wishes to spread the awareness message.

"Each and every effort made to conserve water can bring a significant change to all of us—warm wishes on the occasion of World Water Day."

"Water is one thing that defines life for all the organisms on this planet. On World Water Day, let us join hands to conserve water."

"If we do not save water today, we will regret our actions later. It is time to wake up and save water to save life on Earth. Happy World Water Day."

FAQ

1. How do we contribute to World Water Day?

We can all contribute to World Water Day by practicing efficient water use.

2. What activity uses the most water in homes?

You won’t believe it, but toilet flushing uses the most water in homes.

3. How much water does a person use daily on average?

A person uses 101.5 gallons of water daily on average.