World Water Day 2003: Water for the Future

"Water for the Future" is the theme for World Water Day 2003. It calls on each of us to maintain and improve the quality and quantity of freshwater available for future generations. Only 3% of the world's water is freshwater. The remaining 97% is too salty for humans and most animals to use.

This year, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) is the lead UN agency for World Water Day 2003. As pointed out by Klaus Toepfer, UNEP Executive Director, thinking for the future is essential if the international community is to achieve the United Nations' Millennium Development Goal to halve the number of people living without safe drinking water and basic sanitation by the year 2015. World Water Day 2003 will coincide with the 3rd Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan, itself a key event of the UN International Year of Freshwater 2003.

To support the aims of World Water Day, WaterCan highlights the special challenges facing communities in developing countries to gain improved access to safe water supply. It is estimated that 1.1 billion people in the world - about 20% of the world's population or more than 30 times the total population of Canada - still lack access to safe water to drink. More than double this number - about 2.4 billion people - lack basic sanitation services. The consequences of this situation are devastating on local communities:

• Each year, more than 2.2 million people, mostly children in developing countries, die from problems associated with the lack of safe water supply and sanitation services. This is equivalent to someone dying every 15 seconds.
• In developing countries, about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.
• At any one time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases.

The good news is that water and sanitation interventions are one of the most cost-effective ways of improving the health status of people in developing countries. The health benefits of clean drinking water are best realized when coupled with sanitation and hygiene education activities.
In Canada, although we are fortunate to possess about one-fifth of the world's freshwater, there is a growing recognition that better water management practices are required to ensure that future needs are met. Consider the following facts:

• On average, 14% of municipal piped water is lost in pipeline leaks - up to 30% in some communities.
• Many Canadian homes lose more water from leaky pipes than they need for cooking and drinking.
• About 18% of Canada's urban population live in municipalities that do not provide sewage treatment.
• Between 1972 and 1991, Canada's withdrawal of freshwater resources increased from 24 billion cubic metres per year to over 45 million billion cubic metres - a rise of 80%; in the same period, the country's population increased by only 3%.
• One litre of oil can contaminate up to 2 million litres of water.

To read about how WaterCan celebrated World Water Day 2003, click here