Today's News

May 22 is World Water Day.

According to the decision made at the 47th session of the UN General Assembly in 1992, the day has been commemorated since 1993.

Water is important in not only the existence and development of humanity but also animal, plant, marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

The Earth is so rich in water resources as to be called the planet of water but the amount of the water that can be directly used by people is extremely limited. In addition, the water resources decrease day by day owing to their prolonged economic activities and the consequent environmental destruction and the water problem has become one of the big global challenges.

A UN institute has recently issued a report to warn that three quarters of the world population are faced with the situation of “water bankruptcy” due to the excessive use of underground water and water pollution. The UN and other international organizations have so far used the expressions “water stress” and “water crisis” in the discussion about the problem of water resources depletion on the assumption that it might be resolved in the future, but this is the first time they have used the word “bankruptcy”.

Global warming, too, is a factor causing the water crisis.

The inter-governmental committee on climate change already announced that global warming changed temperature, precipitation and evaporation and warned that if the mean temperature rises due to global warming, billions of people will be faced with water shortage. Today, it has become a reality, not a prediction.

Water pollution by human activities is getting worse day after day.

A large quantity of sewage and most of industrial waste water flows into rivers as it is. In an Asian country, half of its population cannot obtain hygienic and safe drinking water.

The theme for this year’s WWD is “Water and Gender”.

As the worldwide water crisis greatly weighs on women, the UN suggested the theme, calling for solving the problem of water crisis by focusing on ensuring women’s rights in the supply and use of water and giving them transformative authority.