The World Water Day 2022 is just a few days away. This year, the theme for the special day is Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible. Every year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater or a resource that we should all cherish before it depletes completely. Here’s what you need to know about it.
How is the World Water Day Theme Decided?
The theme of World Water Day is decided every year after a set process. UN-Water Members and partners propose the annual theme about two to three years in advance. This year, the theme was finalized in Rome last week. The theme finalized this year was proposed by IGRAC. The 30th meeting of UN-Water was held in Rome, Italy, at the headquarters of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). More than 50 delegates of UN-water members and partners and 23 observers from different governments and organizations marked their presence at the meeting.
The theme wasn’t decided in one day. A brainstorming session was conducted at a previous UN-water meeting held in Stockholm. Even an online poll was conducted among the UN water organizations. 15 proposed themes were discussed during these meetings, and the poll was also conducted to shortlist a few names. After the voting, the top two themes were “Valuing Water” and “Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible.”
The former was selected as the World Water Day theme for 2021, while the latter was chosen for World Water Day 2022.
Why is Groundwater the Focus?
Many of you might be wondering why groundwater is the focus of the World Water Day 2022 theme. The simple answer is that groundwater is an essential resource that provides about half of all drinking water across the globe. Also, about 40% of all water for irrigated agriculture is groundwater. Even 1/3 of water used for industries is groundwater.
Groundwater is also a vital resource because it sustains ecosystems, prevents land subsidies and seawater intrusion. It also maintains the baseflow of rivers. Groundwater is also a key component of the climate change adaption process. Also, it is the best solution for many people on the planet who don’t have access to safe water via their taps.
Groundwater plays a key role in our day-to-day lives, but still, it is out of sight and out of mind for most people. Human activities like population, economic growth, and climate variability constantly increase the pressure on groundwater resources. Excessive depletion and pollution issues are also reported from many parts of the world.
So, focusing on the invisible groundwater is a wise move for everyone on the planet. It is hoped that the World Water Day 2022 theme will help people focus more on this invisible resource, enhance their knowledge about it, and begin to collaborate on how to take care of the groundwater, which helps most people on the planet survive and thrive.
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Conclusion
Groundwater keeps flowing quietly under our feet, supplying nearly half the planet’s drinking water, right up until depletion or contamination makes it stop. By then the fix is a lot harder than the prevention would have been. World Water Day’s 2022 theme was really a call to pay attention to a resource most of us never think about until the tap runs dry, something we explored further in our look at Cape Town’s Day Zero crisis. Where groundwater quality is already compromised, treatment technology can still recover safe drinking water from it. AMPAC USA builds systems for exactly these situations; reach us at info@ampac1.com or (909) 548-4900 to discuss your groundwater treatment needs.
Groundwater: The Invisible Foundation of Global Water Security
Groundwater — water stored in the pores and fractures of underground rock and sediment formations called aquifers — is the world’s largest reservoir of fresh liquid water, containing approximately 100 times more fresh water than all the world’s rivers and lakes combined. Despite its fundamental importance, groundwater remains largely invisible in public awareness. The 2022 World Water Day theme, “Making the Invisible Visible,” recognized this awareness gap and called for greater public understanding, political attention, and management resources to protect groundwater systems that most people have never seen and never consider.
The scale of human dependence on groundwater is difficult to overstate. Globally, groundwater provides approximately 2 billion people with their primary drinking water source. Groundwater supports 40% of irrigated agriculture worldwide, including major production areas in India, China, the US Great Plains, and the Middle East. Groundwater-fed springs and baseflow maintain dry-season river flows in many regions — when aquifers are depleted, rivers that people assume to be surface water systems can cease to flow during dry seasons, collapsing both aquatic ecosystems and downstream water supply. The interconnection between groundwater and surface water is a fundamental hydrological principle that is often overlooked in water management frameworks that treat these systems as separate.
Threats to groundwater are multiple and often act simultaneously: physical depletion through extraction exceeding natural recharge rates (affecting the Ogallala Aquifer, North China Plain, India’s Punjab, and California’s Central Valley among major cases); chemical contamination from agricultural chemicals (nitrates, pesticides), industrial sources (chlorinated solvents, heavy metals, PFAS), and naturally occurring contaminants (arsenic, fluoride, uranium in certain geological settings); saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers from sea-level rise and over-pumping; and thermal pollution from land-use change and climate warming. AMPAC USA’s water treatment systems serve communities worldwide where groundwater quality challenges — whether natural or anthropogenic — require treatment solutions to ensure safe supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the global importance of groundwater?
Groundwater is a critical global resource, supplying nearly half of all drinking water and supporting 40% of irrigated agriculture worldwide. It also accounts for one-third of industrial water use and sustains vital ecosystems. This invisible resource is essential for preventing land subsidence, seawater intrusion, and maintaining river baseflow.
How is the annual World Water Day theme selected?
The World Water Day theme is decided through a multi-year process involving UN-Water Members and partners. Proposals are made 2-3 years in advance, followed by brainstorming sessions, online polls, and discussions among delegates, with finalization at meetings such as the one held in Rome. The 2022 theme, ‘Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible,’ was proposed by IGRAC.
What are the primary threats facing groundwater resources?
Groundwater resources face significant threats primarily from depletion, contamination, and over-extraction. These issues severely jeopardize water security for billions of people globally and disrupt critical ecosystems. Sustainable management and advanced purification, like those offered by AMPAC USA, are crucial to mitigate these risks.
Why was ‘Making the Invisible Visible’ chosen as the 2022 World Water Day theme?
The theme ‘Making the Invisible Visible’ was chosen for World Water Day 2022 to highlight groundwater’s critical yet often overlooked role. Despite providing nearly half of global drinking water and supporting vast agricultural and industrial needs, groundwater remains largely absent from public discourse, making its threats and importance less recognized.
How does groundwater contribute to climate change adaptation?
Groundwater is a key component of climate change adaptation processes, offering a resilient water source during periods of drought and surface water scarcity. It helps maintain ecosystem stability and provides a reliable supply for communities and industries, enhancing overall water security in a changing climate.
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