Words cannot describe the importance of water; it is the most essential building block of life that plays a significant role in supporting economic, social, and human development.
With World Water Day just days ahead, addressing the crisis of water scarcity becomes more crucial. ‘Leaving no one behind’ is the theme of World Water Day 2019, which is a kind of promise to provide safe water to everyone.
Safe water is still a dream for billions of people who struggle to survive without access to it. Discrimination is quite prevalent among marginalized groups that include women, children, refugees, indigenous people, disabled people, and many others. Most of the times they are overlooked when it comes to safe water, which results in various health complications.
In the year 2010, the UN recognized “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.” People should not be discriminated on the basis of any factor as water is the right of individuals, not any form of generosity. The new theme focuses on efforts towards including people who have been marginalized or ignored. Their needs should be met without constant requests and efforts and this can be made possible with sufficient funding. Regulatory and legal frameworks must look into the matter and tackle the issue without further delay, as it is a matter of survival.
Access to water is mandatory in a stable and prosperous world and it is more than critical to sustainable development. While billions of people struggle to get access to safe water, moving forward as a global society is not possible. Hence, it is the responsibility of each and every individual to ensure that it’s not just them who has access to safe water, but their fellow beings as well.
“Whoever you are, whatever you are, water is your human right.”
