WORLD WATER DAY… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

Today, like every year, we are celebrating World Water Day. Another “World Day”, you say, and you wouldn’t be wrong. There are currently 504 important World Days registered. Belgian Fries Day (August 1st) comes two days before World Beer Day (doesn’t one go with the other?) And don’t forget the surprising World Homemade Ice Cream Day.

Why stop there? Thankfully, November 3rd is World Kindness day, but it is not often celebrated. And there is an entire week starting on March 16th dedicated to good driving conduct, quickly forgotten, by the way.

And what about water? It falls on March 22nd, the same day as World Sleep Day…Interesting! Have our politicians and our decision-makers put water to sleep? That’s what we may assume when we see the limited interest shown by most of them for securing water access and guaranteeing the right to water concretely.

On the other hand, climate change seems to be wide awake every day, fruit of our turpitude, responsible for every bad thing in the future. But tell me, what is the first consequence of global warming? Flooding or drought? In either case, it’s all about water. Too much water or too little water, but water!

So, this March 22nd, don’t fall asleep. Instead, give yourself over to water. Take care of it. How? Don’t waste it. Save it. Share it. Don’t pollute it, protect it, defend it!

Because we must ensure that water for today is also water for tomorrow. Because we must make the best out of rain, in order to quench our thirst during the dry season. Because we must guarantee water for humans as much as for nature.

That way, as the sun sets this 22nd of March, you will be able to say: I did something for water! And when you meet your friends, your neighbors, your politicians, your President, you will be able to ask them, like Boris Vian in the song, The Deserter, “Good Apostles”, what have you done for water?

Loïc Fauchon, President of the World Water Council