Today – March 22 – is World Water Day. As you turn on your tap, I hope you take time to appreciate how lucky most of us are to live in homes where water is simply expected. We don’t have to work hard to get it. We don’t have to pay much for it.
But travel long enough, and you will see what happens when water runs dry. The impact that a drought or a dry well has on a community can be devastating. In a world where water encompasses 70 percent of the earth’s surface, it seems improbable that people continue to die of thirst. The reason: only 2.5 percent of the earth’s water is classified as freshwater, and barely 1 percent of the fresh water is easily accessible as drinking water.
More than 783 million people do not have access to safe drinking water. There are many ways you can help through conservation, awareness and donation. Check out: http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/home/en/.
There is a quiet beauty in water. Every culture recognizes it. Every person needs it.
Sheilah, I’m a Katrina survivor and I can tell you at that time, never was the saying, “water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink,” more appropriate.
Bet you have some stories. We are in a drought here in Oklahoma, and it’s amazing how much time we spend hoping for rain.