World Water Day Facts And Quotes To Support Access To Quality Drinking Supply

The United Nations began emphasizing the increasingly critical water crisis plaguing the globe beginning in 1993 with the designation of World Water Day. Since then, the U.N. has set out to expand access to clean and safe water throughout the world.

Wednesday marks this year’s World Water Day, a day to increase awareness about water quality and the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals that aim to make sure the entirety of the planet has access to safe water by 2030.

The 2017 World Water Day Theme Is "Wastewater" Last year’s theme was “Water and Jobs,” while 2018’s will be “Nature-based Solutions for Water.”

More Than 80 Percent Of Wastewater Flows Into The Environment Without Being Treated The wastewater from homes, manufacturing and agriculture pollutes nature and causes ecosystems to lose necessary nutrients.

Almost 2 Billion People Use Contaminated Water An estimated 1.8 billion people currently rely on drinking water that is polluted with feces, increasing the risk of contracting diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery and polio.

Contaminated Water Is Deadly More than 500,000 deaths per year are attributed to polluted drinking water. Increased water quality, sanitation and hygiene would alleviate an estimated 9 percent of the global disease burden and reduce mortality by more than 6 percent.

The Average Person Uses 100 Gallons Of Water Each Day Ninety-five percent of the water used daily is wasted: up to 95 gallons are lost down the drain per person each day, according to the United States Geological Survey.

India Has The Worst Water Quality In The World An estimated 75 million people in India do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. The Ganges river is polluted with sewage and runoff, but around 40 percent of India’s population relies on it for water supply.

By 2030, Water Demand Around The World Will Increase By 50 percent As developing countries grow, their demand for water will increase. By 2025, at least half of the world’s population will be living in areas that are “water-stressed.”

“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.” Jacques Cousteau, explorer, conservationist, inventor

“Water is the best of all things.” Pindar, Ancient Greek poet

“For many of us, clean water is so plentiful and readily available that we rarely, if ever, pause to consider what life would be like without it.” Marcus Samuelsson, chef

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” Leonardo da Vinci, artist

“In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong, nothing can surpass it.” Lao Tzu, philosopher

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” W.H. Auden, poet

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” Loren Eisley, anthropologist, philosopher, ecologist

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” Thomas Fuller, historian