World Water Day 2021
Today, March 22, 2021, millions of people around the world are celebrating United Nations World Water Day. We’re so glad you could join us!
Today, March 22, 2021, millions of people around the world are celebrating United Nations World Water Day. We’re so glad you could join us!
It may not be as commonly observed as some of our other favorite holidays, but in many ways it should be. After all, every single person on this planet relies on clean, safe water to drink, bathe, and cook, and water also powers big industries like agriculture, energy, and business.
World Water Day is observed annually on March 22 to raise awareness about the importance of water in issues like public health, economic development, and even social justice and equality. The first World Water Day was observed by the United Nations in 1993. It is an international holiday that serves as an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others, and take action to make a difference.
Aquagenuity stands with the United Nations and the many global organizations who are working to make sure that no one on the planet is left without clean water. And for Aquagenuity, that includes the residents in thousands of U.S. communities who are being exposed to high levels of lead and other toxins in their water.
Today, over 3000 communities in the United States have unsafe levels of lead in their water, due to crumbling infrastructure, a lack of regulation, industrialization, and other anthropogenic (man-made) sources. Additionally, some estimates suggest that 98% of Americans have been exposed to toxic PFAS “forever chemicals,” in their water. These chemicals can cause cancer, heart disease, neurological damage, and immune system damage.
Access to clean, safe drinking water is a basic human right — one that has been ignored for far too long, and which has been disproportionately denied to people of color and low-income communities in the United States and around the world.
Recently, the impacts of severe winter weather in Texas and Mississippi have left millions without access to safe drinking water. In Jackson, Mississippi in particular, failing infrastructure and already dangerous levels of lead in the city’s water supply have sharpened the effects of the storm, and left majority-Black counties without safe drinking water. Because of the worsening effects of climate change, these types of extreme weather events will only become more common, leading to more water crises across the country and the world. For every American, the time for real action on water justice is now.
The theme for World Water Day 2021, “Valuing Water,” asks us to think seriously about how critical clean water is not only for basic personal health, but also for the health of our societies, our industries, and cultural or spiritual practices. At Aquagenuity, we value clean water above all else. It is one of the core building blocks of life on earth — and it must be protected and defended by communities around the world.
That’s where you come in.
On World Water Day — and every day — when you choose to join in the fight for clean water, you are helping to raise awareness about the Great American Water Crisis. That’s why Aquagenuity is investing in solutions to the water crisis driven by citizen science, starting with our first-of-its-kind citizen map of water quality. We have also piloted the launch of our digital media platform, The Daily Drip, to help raise awareness and build conversation around the importance of clean water.
You can help us spread the word, support underserved communities, and find out “What’s In Your Water?” simply by signing up on our website.
With your help, we can ignite the conversation around water justice and defend everyone’s right to safe, clean water.
