On the 22th of March, we are celebrating World Water Day which focuses on the importance of freshwater. Its core focus is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
This year, the focus is groundwater, an invisible resource with an impact visible everywhere. Many DANUBEPARKS' Protected Areas are organizing activities related to the topic in their visitor and information centers (such as public lectures, volunteer activities, etc.)
Groundwater is water found underground in aquifers, which are geological formations of rocks, sands and gravels that hold substantial quantities of water. Groundwater feeds springs, rivers, lakes and wetlands, and seeps into oceans.
Life would not be possible without groundwater. Most arid areas of the world depend entirely on groundwater. Groundwater supplies a large proportion of the water we use for drinking, sanitation, food production and industrial processes.
It is also critically important to the healthy functioning of ecosystems, such as wetlands and rivers. We must protect them from overexploitation – abstracting more water than is recharged by rain and snow - and the pollution that currently haunts them, since it can lead to the depletion of this resource, extra-costs of processing it, and sometimes even preventing its use.
Exploring, protecting and sustainably using groundwater will be central to surviving and adapting to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population.