Every year, World Water Day is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of fresh water and the sustainable management of water resources. This is a valuable, limited resource, which real value is best shown by its essential for life.
22 of March is international World Water Day, so let’s stop for a moment and think about what water really means to us and why we need to take care of it. When we think of water, come to our mind a pleasant beach holiday, the beautiful view of Lake Balaton or the bend of the Danube River that crosses our capital. In addition to the fact that water can have significant aesthetic value, it can also play a major role in people’s recreation, for example relaxation or water sports. However, if we go further and we think about the water from different aspects of our daily lives, we will realize that water is present in the smallest moments of our daily life, from washing our faces after waking up to brushing our teeth before bedtime. So we can easily see the importance of protecting our freshwater resources.
Every year, UNESCO and UN-WATER select the motto of World Water Day, which they focus on. The motto for 2024: Water for prosperity and peace. This year’s motto draws attention to an important thing. Nowadays, which are affected by armed conflicts, pandemics and their economic effects, the competition for water, an essential element for life, can also become a serious struggle. After all water is a resource which is available in finite quantities, in addition access to it is not equally for everyone.
However, the water can be a problem, causing floods that sometimes threaten entire parts of countries. But actually it can also be a big issue if we have no water. In short, the most common problem is too much water or the lack of water. The effects of climate change are increasing the occurrence of these extreme weather events, making them increasingly perceptible. However, by balancing the extremes, we can effectively adapt to the negative effects caused by climate change, in which the actions what we make in our local environment plays a key role. Water retention at individual, municipal and territorial river basin level can also contribute to this, given the paramount importance of the water in the field of climate adaptation.
Finding and maintaining balance can be achieved most effectively by integrating municipal and regional water management, as well as by keeping and utilizing waters in place. Flash floods and droughts harm not only agriculture, but also natural ecosystems and settlements. To avoid this, inland waters and part of the floods should be adequately retained to reduce water scarcity in the future and improve the microclimate.
Individual and social responsibility is utmost important, recognizing our own role and our own potential for action. Let’s work together to protect our common treasure, the fresh water. By applying natural water retention measures, we can improve the quality of habitats, the water storage capacity of the soil and subsurface aquifers, while also improving the status of water and water-dependent ecosystems.
Resource of the photo: https://www.istockphoto.com/hu/search/2/image-film?page=8&phrase=water
