Since 1993, March 22nd is dedicated to celebrating water and raising awareness on its scarcity and its efficient or inefficient use around the globe. World Water Day is here to underline that to this day not everyone has access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, thus we must act responsibly and use water wisely.
Freshwater is essential to keep humanity alive and constitutes only 1% of the available water on the planet. The scarcity of good quality fresh water sources is slowly but steadily urging communities to use non conventional water resources, such as rainwater, stormwater or recycled greywater for secondary uses, such as toilet flushing, gardening, and washing.
In a rapidly urbanizing world, where water demand continues to increase because of the growing population and societal trends, as well as ecosystem services needs and intense agricultural activities, it is essential to rethink the long-term strategies for the supply of water in cities and peri-urban areas. Particularly in the context of climate change uncertainties and the strive of cities to improve the citizens’ wellbeing, the time to act is now.
The “Nature for Water” theme of World Water Day 2018 focuses on Nature-based Solutions, which encourage “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits”.
Green-blue infrastructure is not a new concept, but it is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. The era of “concrete” and “grey” infrastructure has hit a hard wall. Maintaining and reviving natural habitats close to cities is one component of the solution, while the other can be to improve current infrastructure and cater for greener and water-sustainable cities.
Exemplary green-blue infrastructure applications can be found in leading water-sensitive cities such as Portland, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Berlin or Philadelphia. The goal is to scale the concept of smart and sustainable urban centers at a greater level and engage more citizens in a water-aware behavior. We have not much time to lose, so think out of the box and imagine a green and blue future for everyone!
Happy World Water Day!