Photo: VOA
Zimbabwe today joins the rest of the globe commemorate World Water Day (WWD) which falls on 22 March each year.
According to UNWater this year’s main event will be celebrated in an online in line with protocols put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The WWD celebrates the importance of water and raises awareness of the global water crisis, and a core focus of the observance is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water.
As stated by the UNWater, the value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of the natural environment.
UNWater says if people overlook any of these values, they risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource.
“SDG 6 is to ensure water and sanitation for all. Without a comprehensive understanding of water’s true, multidimensional value, we will be unable to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of everyone.
“On the day itself, the United Nations World Water Development Report is also released, focusing on the same topic as the campaign and recommending policy direction to decision makers,” says UNWater.
Meanwhile, local authorities in Zimbabwe especially the country’s capital say they are facing a severe water shortage, and public health concerns, as water levels in dams supplying them had “drastically” dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Harare, the City council has been struggling with water purification chemical which are imported from outside the country.
For the capital city, rampant pollution has even made the cost of water purification high.
-Zwnews
