World Water Day is observed annually on 22 March and focuses attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The initiative is spearheaded by the United Nations (UN), using the day as a basis for longer-term action involving governments across the globe. The UN aims to ensure that everyone in the world has access to safe water by 2030, while not impacting negatively on the environment.

Each year, the United Nations Water sets a theme for World Water Day which responds to a current or future challenge. The theme for year 2022 is “Groundwater – making the invisible, visible”, and the theme seeks to remind policy and decision-makers, inside and outside the water community, that South Africa is a water scarce country.

To mark this day, the Department of Water and Sanitation has lined up a series of activities to bring attention to South Africa’s state of water. These activities will include amongst others, panel discussions on various topics and services offered by the Department. These discussions will be led by some of the top minds in the water sector, in government and outside government. Some of the discussions will be held physically while others will be held online inline with COVID-19 regulations.