Today is World Water Day 2009, and according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, nearly 1 billion of the world’s people live without access to clean water, and about 4 million die each year because of waterborne illnesses. Women and children in Africa walk an average of 3.7 miles each day to collect water for their families. And every 15 seconds a child dies from disease caused by lack of fresh water and the inadequate sanitation that it causes. Diarrheal diseases, such as cholera, are on the rise, especially in Africa. And global warming is making the problem worse because of increased frequency and intensity of flooding and resulting contamination of water supplies.

Meanwhile, the U.N. warns that by 2030, nearly half of the world’s people will be living in areas of acute water shortage caused by increased population, rising living standards, dietary changes and biofuel production. Already, water issues are complicating factors in Darfur and the Arab-Israeli conflict. North Africa and the Middle East have already reached the limits of their water resources, and with world population expected to increase by 2 billion by 2050, the pressure on global water supplies is only going to intensify.

In the U.S., trouble is brewing over drought conditions and water rights in the West, while all over the country activists and communities are fighting the bottled water industry to prevent privatization of water supplies and depletion of local water resources.

But, it’s not all bad news in the world of water. The U.N. says Uganda and Turkey have had success with new water management programs, and that the goal of halving the population that doesn’t have access to clean drinking water by 2015 will be met, except in sub-Saharan Africa. And hardworking organizations around the world are successfully implementing programs and strategies for solving water problems in some of the hardest hit areas.

So, to honor World Water Day, what can you do? Quite a lot, it turns out.

• Learn, so you can make your own water consumption sustainable and become an effective advocate for good water management strategies. Here are some resources to get you started:
  • Read:
    • The official World Water Day website has features about this year’s theme, “Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities“, which focuses on the unique issues and opportunities related to transboundary waters.
    • The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies resources for World Water Day include information about treatment and safe storage of water in emergencies, articles about their Global Water and Sanitation Initiative and background on the cholera crisis in Zimbabwe, including a an aidworker’s diary about fighting the epidemic.
      
    • The World Health Organization (WHO) water page links to all of WHO’s vast water related resources. It includes fact files on water scarcity, overview’s of WHO water and sanitation programs, guidelines for drinking water quality, publications on water and health, a database of national water legislation, and much more.
    • The website of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. has nifty, nerdy animated maps and multi-media on everything from water scarcity, to how humans disrupt the water cycle, to the effects of climate change on world water supplies.
    • The Water Project has educational articles on connections between water and issues like hunger, health and poverty, as well as sections on water scarcity and bottled water.
    • The Food and Water Watch Water page covers topics from privatization of water resources to desalinization to funding water infrastructure.
    • The H2O Report provides information on a wide range of global freshwater issues. Recent articles include a report on the global water crisis, and an exploration of “big oil” and water rights in the American West.
    • Bottlemania is Elizabeth Royte’s book investigating the $60-billion-a-year bottled water industry. You can read an excerpt here, read reviews here and here, and find the book itself Amazon, or at your local library.
  • Watch:
    • Flow: For Love of Water is Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigating the world water crisis. The film uses interviews with scientists and activists to reveal the governmental and corporate entities behind water privatization, as well as the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis. You can watch a trailer here and read reviews here and here. The film is available through Amazon, Netflix, and your local library.
    • Blue Gold is a film that follows numerous people’s fights for basic water rights, from court cases, to violent conflicts, to U.N. resolutions, to local protests at grade schools. See the trailer here. Add the film to your Netflix queue right here. You can also purchase copies from PBS here. There’s also a book that you can get here.
      
    • This YouTube video from the International Federation Global Water and Sanitation Initiative (GWSI) shows the on-the-ground reality of combating water-borne illness in Zambia.
    • Life Is Water is a video about water needs and water purification in rural Sudan.

• Take action right now to protect local and global water resources, and save lives that are endangered from inadequate water supplies:
  • Change Your Water Consumption Habits
    • Next time you’re in a restaurant, ask for tap water instead of bottled water, and donate the money you would have spent to UNICEF through the Tap Project.
    • Take the “Take Back The Tap” Pledge.
    • Follow the National Resources Defense Council’s recommendations on how to reduce water pollution from your home.
    • Become a water conservationist. Visit the Water – Use It Wisely website to find 100+ ways to conserve water.
  • Advocate
    • Become a signatory of proposed Article 31 of the International Declaration of Human Rights, establishing access to clean and potable water as a fundamental human right.
      
    • Join a World Water Day event in your area to raise awareness about the importance of water stewardship for global well-being.
    • Ask the U.S. Congress to provide funds needed to protect water sources and keep our water clean and safe.
  • Donate
    • WaterPartners International is a U.S.-based nonprofit that provides safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries. Working in partnership with donors and local communities, they develop community-level water supplies, offering traditional, grant-funded programs and micro-finance programs to address the world water crisis.
    • Charity: Water is a non profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need. Your $20 to charity:water can give one person in a developing nation clean water for 20 years.
    • Blood: Water Mission began by funding a late stage AIDS hospice and discovered the vital link between living with HIV/AIDS and the need for clean water. As a result, Blood:Water Mission has partnered with more than 600 communities in Africa, providing water and health needs for almost 500,000 people. Along the way the 1000 Wells Project has expanded  to include a variety of clean water solutions and sanitation and hygiene training, as well as funding health clinics, community health workers, and support groups, which help in the prevention, treatment, care and support of communities affected by AIDS.
    • WaterAidAmerica enables the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. They work with local partners and provide them with the skills and support to help communities set up and manage sustainable projects that meet community needs. They also campaign locally and internationally to change policy and practice and ensure water and sanitation’s vital role in reducing poverty is recognized.

• Connect with other individuals and organizations working for local and global water security:
  • FreeFlo is an online social network designed to strengthen the global water activist community, to challenge the privatization of water, and to promote solidarity and water justice for all.
  • Flow: The Film‘s Take Action page has a long list of water organizations that you can connect to.
    
  • WaterPartners International has an electronic community for people working on water issues, as well as online networking through Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube and SecondLife.
• Play, and the world wins!
  • H2Opia is a Facebook game application. Build and maintain a second home in a beautiful underwater utopia. Based on your participation in the H₂Opian world, the developers of H₂Opia will make monthly donations to support WaterAid’s mission of providing clean water and sanitation to people in need around the world.