World Water Day is Friday March 22, 2019 and the theme this year is leaving no one behind. This is an adaptation of the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: as sustainable development progresses, everyone must benefit.
According to worldwaterday.org, Sustainable Development Goal 6 is crystal clear: water for all by 2030. By definition, this means leaving no one behind. But today, billions of people are still living without safe water - their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories are struggling to survive and thrive.
Some key facts for World Water Day 2019:
2.1 billion people live without safe water at home.
One in four primary schools have no drinking water service, with pupils using unprotected sources or going thirsty.
More than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.
Globally, 80% of the people who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources live in rural areas.
Women and girls are responsible for water collection in eight out of ten households with water off-premises.
For the 68.5 million people who have been forced to flee their homes, accessing safe water services is a huge issue.
Around 159 million people collect their drinking water from surface water, such as ponds and streams.
Around 4 billion people - nearly two-thirds of the world’s population - experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.
700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.
This World Water Day on March 22, 2019 is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind and what we can do to help ensure safe, clean water for all.