World Water Day

Funny World Water Day would fall on the first day since i've been back that it didn't rain in Manoa overnight and I might well have to go and water my plants.

Today is World Water Day with this years motto of "Clean Water for a Healthy World". One in six people do not have access to clean water, sanitation or adequate water sources - just 20-50 litres per day is all that is needed for someone to stay healthy. To put that into perspective the average American can use 400 litres per day.

I watched the movie Blue Gold a while back, and it was a very informative look at water and how though it should be, it isn't, a basic human right in even some first world countries.

So what can you do to help the supply of clean water? Here are some things from the World Water Day website...

- Sweep, don't hose driveways, sidewalks, gutters and patios

- Direct rainwater to gardens and lawns or into rainwater collectors

- Pick up after your pet

- Dispose of household chemicals correctly at waste disposal plants, not down the drain

- Check cars for fluid leaks

- Don't flush garbage down the toilet

- Don't litter

- Avoid using fertilizers and pesticides on plants and lawns

- Compost

Every year 2 million tons of sewage, industrial and agricultural waste is dumped into the worlds water supplies. Infectious diseases from water are the number one killer of Children under five years old, and more people die from unsafe water annually than from all forms of violence and war. Clean water should be a basic human right, help is needed on both a local and global scale to help provide clean water to all.