World Day for Water

It’s been llightly raining all morning which seems appropriate since today is World Day for Water—and March 22 has been so since 1993.  I did not know that until this morning.  The General Assembly of the United Nations urges us to turn off the tap for the day and my wife and I are trying to do that.  One doesn't want to get in a fight with the UN.

We found several containers of water in the refrigerator, boiled some of it to wash and shave this morning.  But I wanted to rinse out my toothbrush and my double bladed razor, so I poured a couple of ounces from the drinking pitcher into a cup and swished them around in it.  Using the tap—the faucet—is nearly as instinctive as breathing.  We do it almost without knowing it, so this little exercise in water awareness is good for us.  (Question:  Does the toilet count as a tap??)

The message about World Water Day came from my church’s social action committee.  It says that by 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population, projected to be 9 billion by that time, could live in water-stressed conditions.  I’m not sure what water-stressed means exactly, but I think at minimum it suggests that people in water-stressed areas have difficulty accessing water easily.

Meanwhile the rain water washes from my roof to my gutters, down the spouts and onto the ground.  Perhaps, we say, we should catch some of it and use if to water plants and garden.

World Day for Water.  Mark it on your calendar:  March 22.  It’s a good reminder.

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