World Water Day 2019: Global Water Access for All

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Marybeth Thorsgaard
Marybeth Thorsgaard,  currently serves as Pentair's Vice President of Communications and President of the Pentair Foundation

03/21/2019

World Water Day 2019: Global Water Access for All

Think back to the last time you turned on a faucet. Whether you were at home, at school, or at work, many of us take for granted the fact that turning that handle will produce water safe enough to drink.

According to the United Nations (UN), access to safe and clean water is a human right that’s “essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.” While you or I may exercise this right on a daily basis without a thought, not everyone is so fortunate. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2015 as many as 2.1 billion people still lacked access to clean water.

This World Water Day (March 22), the UN and partners are focused on leaving no one behind, laying the groundwork to ensure water for all by 2030.

Are we on track?                                                                                       

Unfortunately, not quite.  In 2015, one third of countries were behind schedule to meet this goal by 2030, but encouraging progress is still being made.

Picking up the pace for marginalized groups

In terms of progress, we’ve come a long way: 2.6 billion people have gained access to improved water sources since 1990. However, according to WHO, a disproportionate amount of those still lacking access are women, children, indigenous peoples, disabled people, or members of other marginalized groups.

To combat this, the UN is advocating for better targeted funding and more equitable representation of marginalized groups in the decision-making process.

In support of these efforts, World Water Day 2019 is all about spreading awareness of the current inequality in water access and the push to create infrastructure that better serves these populations.

Doing our part

At Pentair, water is our thing. We believe that the health of our world depends on access to clean, safe water. We’re committed to providing smart, sustainable water solutions. For life.

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In 2007, we launched Project Safewater in an effort to provide clean, safe, and sustainable water to populations in need. Partnering with communities and local nonprofit and nongovernment organizations, we build water treatment systems and help to create community-owned micro-enterprises. These small enterprises allow low-income families access to safe water at a price which is affordable to them.

We’re currently operating SafeWater initiatives in Colón, Honduras; Kureb, India; and expanding our efforts in Nairobi, Kenya. 

What can you do to help?

Help spread the word about global access to clean water. Visit the UN’s World Water Day website to learn more about how you can get involved in events, share important facts about water crises with your network, and more. You can find out more about our Project Safewater here.

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