WORLD WATER DAY 2022 (MARCH 22):

Observance of the World Water Day (March 22, A/RES/47/193) in support of SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation & SDG 15: Life on Earth

OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY? & 
CELEBRATION OF WATER AS THE SOURCE OF LIFE

SAVE THE DATE FOR

Date: On MONDAY, 21 MARCH 2022

Time: 12:00p.m. – 14:30 p.m. ET

Webinar| Language: English | Via Zoom Platform

REGISTRATION link will be provided.

(via upcoming media release along with bios and photos of the confirmed speakers).

This Webinar Organized & Presented: 
The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Organization 
Associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Our precious groundwater resources have been invisible to us all as they have been overused, over-extracted and polluted, while we have taken them for granted for too long. The time is now to change this!

The first of the two back-to-back sessions will cover policy, science, technology, and actionable aspects that are needed for a transformation of sustainable groundwater use and management, and the second will showcase the vital importance of water resources through art.

DESCRIPTION & PURPOSE

The theme of the 2022 World Water Day, “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible” was decided during the 30th UN-Water meeting on 30 January – 1 February 2019, held in Rome, Italy.

The proposed, “OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY?” titled webinar aims to contribute to the global conversation, making use of World Water Day (March 22) within the framework of the 2022 theme, “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible”. 

The UN-Water Overview on “Groundwater Resources” underlines the fundamental roles of groundwater along with weaknesses and needs in connection with the Sustainable Development Goal-6: Clean Water and Sanitation for All.

Specifically, UN-Water emphasizes the importance of “Groundwater Resources” through the following key points:

• Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere.

• Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives. 

• Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater.

• As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical. 

• We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource.

• Groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind. 
(Source: https://www.worldwaterday.org/)

C O N C E P T

The proposed webinar will consist of two back-to-back sessions. Each session aims to enhance general public understanding and appreciation of water in general, and groundwater in particular, and contribute toward increased behavior change in the minds of the governments, policymakers, businesses, scientific, engineering, and technology communities, and all users and consumers of water. 

Groundwater has been an invisible resource for too long and has been taken for granted while its quantity and quality have deteriorated as pressures from urbanization, industrialization, and agriculture continuously increased. 

The first panel will illustrate the key, fundamental threats to groundwater, and the barriers to managing its sustainability and protecting it from over-extraction, pollution, and harmful practices. Options available to governments, industries, municipalities, and the general public to reverse the existing threats to groundwater such as “Contamination, Overuse and Depletion, Nitrates, Pharmaceuticals & Personal Care Products, Improperly Managed On-site Wastewater Treatment Systems and Emerging Issues” will be discussed and the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources with proper supply and demand management measures will be presented.

The panel will further examine ongoing practices and data availability issues on the ‘Causes and Effects of Groundwater Depletion’ along with ideas towards ‘Innovative and Sustainable Solutions’, in correlation with the Sustainable Development Goal-15:  Life on Earth. (1.15/1:30 min.)

Eventually, the first session can lead up to be transformed into a demand by the public from their respective governments for the development of relevant public policies and allocation of resources towards the urgent need for legislation and enforcement, incentives, infrastructure, technology, and adaptive governance structures. (1:15-1:30min hrs.)

CHALLENGES & QUESTIONS (re session#1 )
OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY? &
CELEBRATION OF WATER AS THE SOURCE OF LIFE

1.        What makes groundwater “invisible” and how does it exacerbate the existing and potential pressures on groundwater?

2. What are the legal and institutional measures needed to reverse the overuse and pollution trends that are threatening our groundwater resources? 

3. What are the best technological and scientific ideas for making the groundwater resources available for sustainable use in meeting sectoral water demands and protecting them from over-extraction and pollution at the same time? 

4. What are the responsibilities of the governments, industries, communities, and the general public for the sustainable management of groundwater?

5. What are the pathways toward global and National policies that will allow for effective action at the local, regional, and global levels for efficient and sustainable management of groundwater?

Session-2: CELEBRATION WATER AS THE SOURCE OF LIFE

In the following session, Water will be presented in a more holistic approach through art, music, performance, short-video clip, poetry, short essay, inspirational talk on water, etc. 

This session will celebrate life through the water as one of the four fundamental elements in life (along with air, earth/soil, and light/fire) for all things are exist in the world including plants, all living things-animals, and the human population at large. 

The second session will also be presented in correlation with World Poetry Day (March 21), in which, the concept of “Water” will be at the epicenter from a holistic approach as it is indicated in the above-proposed title for this session. (1.00-1:15min hrs.)

GROUNDWATER IN THE SDGs 

Groundwater is a key resource for the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development— but is still weakly conceptualized in the SDG 6 indicators or insufficiently known to provide a reliable indicator value. Professional assessment of groundwater status, trends, and risks is required to interpret the state/ condition of the groundwater resources, whose sustainability is essential for the achievement of SDG 6 Targets. Beside SDG 6, groundwater directly contributes to poverty eradication (Goal 1), food security (Goal 2), gender equality (Goal 5), sustainability of cities and human settlement (Goal 11), combating climate change (Goal 13), and protection terrestrial ecosystems (Goal 15). (Reference# 3).

BACKGROUND

Globally, groundwater resources are under increasing pressure due to human activities and climate change. Our response to this pressure is often not adequate, also due to limited awareness of the importance of groundwater resources. 

[…]

United Nations agencies and programmes, together with their international partners, deal with many issues that involve groundwater: from wetlands to food production, from sanitation to climate change. Due to diversity and complexity of issues, it is often difficult to recognize a role of groundwater and adequately incorporate it into a decision-making process. Understanding complementarities with other issues and using groundwater experience gained elsewhere is not easy either. (Reference# 3) :

EXPECTED OUTCOME

• All delivered presentations will be made publicly available through The Light Millennium’s website(s) that also will be contributing towards the Water Action Decade, 2018-2028.

• A summary will be produced to disseminate through the core organizers’ relevant websites, via direct email and social media accounts of/by the core organizers.

• Will contribute to public awareness and encourages students academia and policymakers to focus on the theme of “Groundwater – Making the Invisible, Visible”.

• Will provide ideas and references based on existing and ongoing projects towards “groundwater” related issues.

• Will demonstrate a strong emphasis on the importance of the groundwater resources along with prevention from all forms of pollution and/or prevention of any form of waste of it. 

• Video recording of the webinar will be made publicly available online. Its edited, re-formatted version will be scheduled under the Light Millennium Television Series (LMTV) for local channels in New York City (QPTV.Org; MNN.Org) in the following months that also will be presented in support of the SDG 6 and SDG 15 along with Water Action Decade, 2018-2028.

• The outcome of the webinar will be reflected by the Organizer to the United Nations and UN-associated NGOs and the general public.

Targeted Attendees: 150+ attendees

Targeted Audience: Global (experts, academia, representatives from related UN entities, diplomats, government and/or intergovernmental organizations, NGO/Civil Society, Youth/Student representatives, and the general public).

Contact: Bircan Ünver, The Light Millennium, email to: event(at)lightmillennium.org

References:

1. https://www.worldwaterday.org/   

2. https://www.unwater.org/groundwater-making-the-invisible-visible/ 

3. Overview: https://www.un-igrac.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/Groundwater%20overview%20-%20Making%20the%20invisible%20visible_Print.pdf

4. https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day/message

5. https://www.worldwaterweek.org/event/9726-world-water-day-2022—groundwater-making-the-invisible-visible

6. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/

7. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-action-decade/

8. What is Groundwater Depletion?

9. Potential Threats to Groundwater
https://www.groundwater.org/get-informed/groundwater/

10. High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2022