March 22 is World Water Day. Each year, the UN brings the world’s focus to the importance of water. This year’s theme is “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible”. We may not be able to see groundwater, but that doesn’t make it any less important than the streams, rivers, lakes and oceans that cover the earth’s surface. If anything, groundwater may be the most important source of water for human life. Why is this? Because groundwater is almost all of the world’s liquid freshwater.
This year, the UN is proposing a one-minute challenge. They want to know how groundwater affects your life. Do you think there’s enough groundwater? Is it safe? What do we need to do to protect it? The UN wants you to share your groundwater story through YouTube or Vimeo using the hashtags #MyGroundwaterStory and #WorldWaterDay. For the challenge guidelines, click here.
Learn about where fresh water can be found with our free reading passage from our Conservation: Fresh Water Resources book. Then, download this poster to see where all the water is on earth. You’ll notice that 29% of the liquid freshwater is found underground, and only 1% is found above ground.
Visit the World Water Day website to learn more about this event and how you can participate.