Background

Water is a key element in sustaining human life and environmental health. Availability of freshwater resources has been emerging as the most critical environmental issue of the 21^st Century. Climate variability and change has further exacerbated water scarcity. But Scientists argue that it is not a problem of water availability but a problem of efficient water management. Being the 2^nd richest country in fresh water resources, Nepal needs for the better management of this important resource for its prosperity. The multi dimensional uses of water to cope with growing population and the associated risk such as floods, Droughts and GLOF (Glacier Lake Outburst Flood) have complicated water issues. Moreover, rivers flowing along the heavily populated areas and industrial places are facing acute pollution problem resulting in unforgivable health hazards. The other aspect is global warming that has posed a great threat to environment calling for immediate actions.

Hence a need arises for making the people, the government and the NGOs aware of these issues related to water and climate for the purposes of creating a thrust to make fresh initiatives in this regard. It is in this background that the need of program on water awareness, National Water Week Organizing Committee 2009 (Over 50 organizations, including government, non-government, professional societies, youth clubs) has organized a week-long program entitled “National Water Week 2009” on 18^th to 23^rd March, 2009 with the theme “Water, Climate and Our Life; Merging Interests, Creating Synergies”. The water week has been designed to commemorate the World Water Day (March 22) and World Meteorological Day (March 23) in order to propagate the message of the importance of water to life and the risk that is growing along with it. It is one of such venture organized by the joint initiatives of Government of Nepal and the multi disciplinary agencies a rare example in itself in the area of coordination and collaboration.

World Water Day (WWD) is celebrated on 22^nd March every year, as the day to mark the importance of freshwater and advocating for sustainable management of freshwater resources. United Nation Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 recommended celebrating the day as an international day for freshwater and 22 March 1993 was designated as the first World Water Day. Each year WWD emphasizes a specific aspect of freshwater, and this year UN Water has declared the theme for WWD 2009 as “Shared Water – Shared Opportunities” with special focus on Trans-boundary nature of water. The lead agencies for WWD 2009 are UNECE (UN Economic Commission for Europe) and UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). UN has proclaimed the decade (2005-2015) as the international decade for action – “Water for Life” beginning from WWD 2005.

Since 1950, World Meteorological Day (WMD) has been celebrated on 23 March to commemorate the establishment of the Convention of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). WMO comprises 188 countries and territories and works closely with their National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, particularly in developing countries, to strengthen their abilities to better observe weather, climate and water-related phenomena, to produce forecasts and to make this information widely available on a timely basis. WMO marked WMD 2008 with the theme “Observing our Planet for a Better Future,” and with a global call to strengthen climate observations with increased investment in weather, climate and hydrological observation technologies to help populations and economies adapt to climate change and climate variability and to prepare for extreme weather. The theme for 2009 WMD is “Weather, Climate and the Air, We Breathe”.

Activities

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