WORLD WATER DAY
“Groundwater: Making the invisible visible”
Khartoum, 22 March 2022 -With 80% of the Sudanese people sourcing their fresh water from groundwater, this year’s theme for World Water Day, Groundwater: Making the invisible visible, is especially relevant. Access to sufficient groundwater remains a challenge as desertification and water scarcity are on the rise.
Director for the UNESCO Category II Centre for Research and capacity Development in Water Harvesting Hatim Al Badri says there is a huge gap in groundwater, and aquifers data and monitoring is urgently needed. “Groundwater monitoring is necessary for development of groundwater resources and controlling groundwater hazards for example from pollution and saltwater intrusion, and remediation.”
For Thewodros Mulugeta, Chief of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene at UNICEF in Sudan, “groundwater is a critical natural resource that the majority of people rely on for their domestic and livelihood needs. The invisible nature of this precious resource has contributed to the challenge of responsible use and management. On this World- Water Day, we call up on all stakeholders and the public at large to raise awareness on groundwater: making the invisible visible.”
Ms Wafaa Sidahmed Mohamed, Secretary General of Sudanese National Commission for UNESCO says there are several key areas of engagement regarding the management of groundwater resources, including “increasing interest in groundwater and striving for its development; developing means of rationalizing water consumption and making it accessible to consumers, and introducing modern irrigation systems, and encouraging their use.”
UNESCO is the lead UN agency in observing World Water Day, which has been celebrated on 22 March every year since 1993. The day aims to raise awareness to the issues surrounding access to safe and clean water and finding solutions and taking action to tackle the global water crisis facing 2.2 billion people.
Ninety-nine percept of liquid freshwater on earth comes from groundwater; it is the source of one quarter of all water used by people around the world.
Links:
World Water Day 2022 Fact Sheet: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kol9q9e5u26ctgv/AAAeSBN2Bf2trILgcZ1KmWgRa?dl= 0&preview=WorldWaterDay2022_Factsheet_ENGLISH.pdf
World Water Day 2022video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMdAOHYkMaE
CONTACT Shama A. Madibo, Communications Consultant, UNESCO
PHONE 0908620851