‘TOL VIEWS
March 22, 2024 has been designated this year as World Water Day, coinciding with the launch of the United Nation’s World Water Development Report 2024: Water for Peace and Prosperity. Water remains the cornerstone of life, the fundamental element which shapes communities, economies, ecologies, and cultures.
From the earliest civilizations down to contemporary societies, water has been a constant factor in the growth and development equation that has enabled nations of the world to advance and prosper.
Recognizing the central role of water and access to this valuable resource, the United Nation’s World Water Development Report 2024 invites attention to the comprehensive assessment of the state of the world’s water resources, provides world leaders with tools to address current and emerging water challenges and paves the way for international cooperation and synergized action for world water sustainability and conservation.
In the Philippines, the sad reality is that a large part of the population remains without access to safe water and sanitation, albeit water access being widely held as a basic human right.
The onset of the dry season worsens even more the scarcity of water and hence the louder call for prudent use and conservation of this extremely valuable resource.
Climate change continues to irreversibly impact all forms of earth life, but most extensively that of humans and the survival of their communities.
It has long been an imperative for world leaders to enact policies and take collective action to ensure water sustainability for the present and future generation. While much has already been done to mitigate the impacts of climate change, I believe much still remains to be done, especially in creating awareness and inviting collective action to guarantee water availability for a rapidly growing and changing world population.
Humans of the world have always harnessed the potentials of water as an engine for economic growth, as an instrument for the preservation of peoples and cultures, as a channel for world communication, cooperation and communion.
Water is indeed a vital tool for prosperity and peace, but only if it remains safe, clean and available. Conservation and protection of water resources is a shared global challenge which consequently requires shared solutions. A holistic and inclusive approach should be adopted if the shared goal is for humankind to, not merely survive, but more so, to thrive.
Sustainable water management practices, infrastructures and technologies are, I believe, already in place alongside replete policies and legislations that have been jointly formulated by water stakeholders of the world.
Collective stewardship of water resources for mutual benefit should be emphasized more and for communities to recognize their pivotal role in building a world where water flows abundantly, prosperity streams freely, and peace proliferates through nations and communities.