Earth Day 2009

On 22 April we celebrate “Earth Day” around the world. I want to focus on the most important thing that sustains all life on earth, water. Humans, animals as well as plants need fresh water to survive. But only three per cent of the water on our earth is freshwater and less than 0.007 per cent of it is available for drinking. Last year, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) urged governments to invest in the water development. Experts said that investment of $15 billion a year towards meeting the UN Millennium Development Goal, by 2015, people will have a sustainable access of safe water and basic sanitation. We will be able to generate global economic benefits worth $38 billion a year. In the 20th century, the world ‘s population had increased three folds. We will have to put more efforts and work together in managing, protecting and sharing of local and transboundary water resources. Right now, one in five people don’t have access to safe drinking water. If climate change is left unchecked and the population increase is left uncontrolled, human misery will surely double and triple in the years to come. UNESCO has created a website which I find useful for information on the issue of global water.