Groundwater: Making the invisible visible…
World Water Day is celebrated once a year worldwide to raise awareness of the importance of affordable and sustainable access to clean water. It was introduced by the United Nations in 1993 to draw attention to the global water crisis. Today, World Water Day takes place every year on March 22.
The theme of World Water Day 2022 is Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible.” World Water Day draws attention to the global water scarcity, and every year the topic is under an important aspect of water. Groundwater is important around the world because it is the most abundant source of freshwater on earth.1 It is water that is located below the earth’s surface in the cavities and crevices of rock and soil. These layers of earth, sand, rock and gravel, which contain usable amounts of groundwater, are called aquifers.
Groundwater is invisible, but its effects are visible everywhere. Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives. In the driest parts of the world, it may be the only water people have. Almost all of the world’s fresh water is groundwater, which supplies drinking water supply, sanitation, agriculture, industry and ecosystems. In many places, groundwater is overused and polluted by human activities. In other places, we simply don’t know how much water is down there, which means we might miss out on harnessing a potentially vital water resource. 2
With about 97% of the non-frozen fresh water on Earth, groundwater is an important natural resource that contributes to human development. About 50% of the world’s population drinks groundwater on a daily basis, and it is crucial to supplying the rural population, which lives far from surface water and infrastructure with artificial pipelines. 3
Groundwater is a vital resource that provides almost half of the world’s total drinking water, about 40% of the water for irrigated agriculture and about a third of the water needed for industry. Despite these impressive facts and figures, the invisible groundwater is out of sight and out of mind for most people. Human activities, including population and economic growth and climate variability, are rapidly increasing pressure on groundwater resources. Serious problems with exhaustion and pollution are reported from many parts of the world. 4
The assessment of global groundwater resources is one of the main tasks of the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre. (IGRAC) is a centre of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which operates under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and is supported by the Dutch government. IGRAC facilitates and promotes the worldwide exchange of information and knowledge on groundwater.
The research, protection and sustainable use of groundwater is central to survival and adaptation to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population. World Water Day 2022 focuses on groundwater as an invisible but valuable resource and aims to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our groundwater.
Water is life, and Nikken does its part to ensure that people have access to clean water for Active Wellness – not only for drinking, but also for showering. From March 17th, we celebrate World Water Day by offering you the latest PiMag® products at great prices!
BUY ONE, GET ANOTHER ONE AT HALF PRICE:
PiMag® water bottle (#88464) – made of 100% recyclable biogreen materials.
PiMag MicroJet® Shower System (#88465) – purer water for softer, purer skin.
1,3. https://www.un-igrac.org/resource/transboundary-aquifers-world-map-2021
2. https://www.worldwaterday.org/
4. https://www.un-igrac.org/news/groundwater-making-invisible-visible-theme-world-water-day-2022