World Water Day

Today is March 22nd, which is the 29th "World Water Day", and also the start of the 34th "China Water Week". How does World Water Day relate to our lives, and what is China Water Week all about? Let's find out.

"World Water Day" and "China Water Week"

With the growth of the global population and the increasing demand for water resources from agriculture and industry, water resources are facing extremely serious threats. To this day, one third of the world's population lacks access to safe drinking water, two-fifths lack basic handwashing facilities. For China, the total water resources are approximately 2.8 trillion cubic meters, but the per capita water resource availability is less than 1/3 of the world average, and nearly 2/3 of cities suffer from water shortages to varying degrees.

In order to raise public awareness of water resource protection, on January 18, 1993, the 47th UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 193, designating March 22nd of each year as "World Water Day" Since 1994, China has designated March 22nd to 28th as "China Water Week" to coincide with World Water Day, highlighting its theme.

the The theme of the 29th "World Water Day" is "Valuing Water", ” aiming to promote global awareness of the true value of water resources and how we can better protect this vital resource. China's commemorative activities for World Water Day and China Water Week in 2021 had the theme: Deeply implement the new development concept and promote the intensive and safe utilization of water resources . The value of water resources goes far beyond its price; it is of great significance to the integrity of families, culture, health, education, economy, and the natural environment. Especially in the fight against the novel coronavirus, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and sufficient clean water play a crucial role in disease prevention and control. The World Health Organization points out that handwashing is one of the most effective preventive measures, reducing the spread of pathogens.

Water resources

Water is the source of all life on Earth Water is the lifeblood of all economic activities . Since ancient times, many water cultures have emerged in human life. "Water" is an oracle bone script character with a pictographic writing style, implying a curved river in the middle and flowing water on both sides. In China's historical and literary works, there is a wealth of "water culture" content, with countless anecdotes, legends, and poems related to "water." "Water" is considered an "eternal" theme in the writings of generations of literati. Confucius said "The wise find joy in water," and Lao Tzu had the famous saying "The best is like water." 。

The "South-to-North Water Diversion Project" is a strategic project of the People's Republic of China, divided into three routes: east, central, and west, with a total investment of 480 billion yuan. The project's planning area involves a population of 438 million people, with a water diversion scale of 44.8 billion cubic meters. The construction of this project will effectively alleviate water shortages in northern China, improve the ecological environment, and support sustainable economic and social development.

2021 was the opening year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" China has entered a new stage of development and embarked on a new journey to comprehensively build a socialist modern country. The "14th Five-Year Plan" contains numerous references to "water," covering water conservancy construction and green ecological development among other aspects, demonstrating the importance of water resources in socio-economic development.

Water is the source of life, the foundation of ecology, and the necessity of production. Protecting and making rational use of water resources starts with small actions 、 and starts with each of us 。