AUSTIN, Texas — Our bodies consist of roughly 60 percent water, Earth is covered in about 70 percent water and an estimated 2.5 percent of that is freshwater.
You get where we're going with this?
Water is crucial to our daily lives and so much of that depends on how we use it, harvest it, clean it and recycle it. In the event of inclement weather and disastrous storms, distributing water to thousands, if not millions, of affected people becomes a major concern. We are dependent on it for food, for hygiene, for our pets, our plants and our lakes, streams and rivers.
In March 1993, the United Nations declared that March 22 would become "World Water Day," promoting global advocacy for the sustainable management of our freshwater resources and access for all by the year 2030. With hope that this declaration would yield a local, regional and national response, the UN wanted to close the gap, raise awareness and provide a larger link between water and health.
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Here's are some facts about clean water and the World Water Day initiative:
1. More than 700 children under the age of five die each day from diarrhea due to unclean water and poor sanitation.
2. 700 million people worldwide could be displaced due to water scarcity by 2030.
3. 80 percent of the people who use unsafe and unprotected water live in rural areas.
4. 2.1 billion people worldwide live without safe water at their home.
5. Diarrhea can be reduced by 26 percent with basic water, when hygiene and sanitation are regularly conducted.
To protect and conserve our water, remember to dispose of chemicals properly, take short showers, limit fertilizer used when gardening, turn off the water while brushing your teeth and run full loads of laundry and dishes. These are some easy tips to apply during daily life. In addition, keep in mind that a number of things commonly found in our day-to-day – such as motor oil, mothballs, household cleaners, medicines and leftover paints – can all add up to put a strain on our clean water.
So, let's work together to prevent future damage!
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