The World Water Day is observed worldwide on March 22 since 1992 after the proclamation of the United Nation's Assembly on Environment and Development.
The week-long celebration is going to be organized with an objective to draw public's attention on the importance of freshwater to human beings and the significance of sustainable development.
The celebration, which is being coordinated by the Secretariat of the Water and Energy Commission (WEC), is aimed at raising awareness among people towards the proper utilization of water and its conservation.
Although Nepal is arguably the second richest country in the world for water resources, various places in the country are still reeling under the acute shortage of water, owing to the lack of proper management and clear policies.
Against this backdrop, the weeklong celebration is believed to reaffirm the fact that water is at the core of sustainable development and through its best utilization, any development projects will be sustainable and effective.
Various programmes are slated to be organized on this occasion, shared Mahendra Gurung, the expert on water resource, adding that celebration will also see deliberations on policy provision regarding the sources of water, its use and conservation.
In the context of Nepal, surface water is used to a great extent whereas the water pumped from underground is used to a lesser extent. As a result, water sources are drying up, calling for the alternative sources of water as harvesting water from rain.
Expert Gurung believed that weeklong celebration will shed light on the issues as human encroachment in the rivers and the unsustainable pumping of underground water among others, thereby make people understand the essence of water as 'Water is Life.'
Beat the summer heat
Ramdeep Shah, the Director at the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage, underscored the need to move ahead acknowledging the burning issues of all concerns as climate change and its effects like carbon emission, melting of the glacier, threat of explosion of the glacial lake and the like.
Urging the use of traditional technologies and techniques to conserve the water resources, Deepak Gyawali, the former Minister and also an expert of water resources, stated that we should use our capabilities rather than depending on the donor agencies and their intervention to further any development works in the country. RSS
