World Water Day 2021 – Valuing Water
The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water. In naming this theme, the UN affirmed that “water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment.” Water has inherent value in that it holds value beyond the uses and services it provides to us as humans. This value is not reflected in the way that water has become commodified, polluted, and overused in the world today. Water is sacred, water is the lifeblood of Mother Earth, water cleanses, purifies and provides healing, water connects all living things – water is life.
Nurturing a relationship with water that recognizes its enormous and complex value begins in our local watersheds. This World Water Day (March 22), we invite you to take a moment to reflect on the value of water in the context of your local watershed. How does water sustain life where you live? How does water shape your relationship with the Earth and/or your faith? Are there communities in your watershed that do not have access to clean water? Are there species in your watershed threatened by human activity? What responsibilities do you have to those who live upstream and downstream from you?
To facilitate reflection and learning about our local watersheds, KAIROS has published Taking a Watershed Approach as part of its Reconciliation in the Watershed program. This 2-page resource is a self-guided exercise that can be done individually or in community to learn more about our relationship with water and the watersheds in which we live. We invite you to use this resource on World Water Day or at any time of the year.
We also invite you to join the global, public conversation on social media about what water means to you. How is water important to your home and family life, your livelihood, your cultural practices, your wellbeing, your local environment? Share your stories, thoughts and experiences on the value of water using #Water2Me and #WorldWaterDay2021.
