Friday 22 March is World Water Day, bringing a focus on water poverty worldwide, even as the chief executive of the Environment Agency has warned of a water shortage in England within 25 years.
Billions of people are still living without safe water today, which means ‘safely managed drinking water service’: water that is accessible on the premises, available when needed, and free from contamination. Their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive.
Marginalised groups – women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples, disabled people and many others – are often overlooked, and sometimes face discrimination, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need.
To ‘leave no one behind’, the U~N is focusing their efforts towards including people who have been marginalised or ignored. Water services must meet the needs of marginalised groups and their voices must be heard in decision-making processes. You can find more information about UN World Water Day here.