World Rivers Day is observed annually on every fourth Sunday of September worldwide which means this year it falls on 25th of September.
This day aims raise awareness regarding the conservation of rivers as recent studies have shown concern regarding depletion of rivers around the world due to various human activities.
This is a very serious issue because rivers are known as the lifeline of our world and for many of our daily uses our lives depends on the rivers be it drinking water, generating electricity or as a way of transportation rivers plays a large role in our society.
| Event | World Rivers Day |
|---|---|
| Date | September 25, 2022 |
| Day | Sunday |
| Significance | The goal of the day is to raise awareness about river conservation |
| Observed by | World wide |
World Rivers Day History:
Rivers have played a very important role since the start of human civilization as many human civilizations around the world only began around the river valley like the Indus Valley Civilization which started on the banks of river Indus, Mesopotamian civilization, Egyptian civilization on Nile river or Chinese civilization on Yellow river. Rivers have played a large role in creating the human society.
Still today we are so much dependent on our rivers for everything as without rivers there will be no vegetation and plantation as a result whole world can turn into an arid desert. But despite this because of industrial activities and over-exploitation of our river resources from a long time today we are facing many climate change problems and if we continue like this by depleting our rivers it could lead to devastating effects.
To address this issue only Mark Angelo, a well-known river environmentalist, addressed the United Nations in 2005 during its Water for Life campaign, a decade-long effort to raise awareness about vulnerable water supplies throughout the world. At this event only Angelo first called for an annual World Rivers Day to help the cause gain traction worldwide among the common people as well.
Then the first World Rivers Day was celebrated in 2005 and all climate change activists showed their solidarity by organizing the very first World Rivers Day event. Today, World Rivers Day is observed in 100 countries around the world where those involved show the community and society at large how they can limit the threats to depleting waterways.
World Rivers Day Importance:
According to Mark Angelo, the founder of World Rivers Day, the significance of clean freshwater has been critical in the tussle against COVID-19. World Rivers Day is a timeous opportunity for millions and millions of people across the globe to come together and commemorate the importance of healthy thriving waterways.
Rivers are part of the water cycle. Water generally collects in a river from precipitation through a drainage basin from surface runoff and other sources such as groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snowpacks. That's why they are often considered major features within a landscape despite only making about 0.1% of the total earth landmass.
Most of the major cities of the world today are situated on the banks of rivers, as they are, or were, used as a source of water, for obtaining food, for transport, as borders, as a defensive measure, as a source of hydropower to drive machinery, for bathing, and as a means of disposing of waste. Si they played a major role in development of the human settlements around the world.
Man-made causes, such as the over-exploitation and pollution, are the biggest threats and concerns which are making rivers ecologically dead and drying up the rivers. Plastic pollution imposes threats on aquatic life and river ecosystems because of plastic's durability in the natural environment. Hence this day encourages people around the world to stop doing all these activities and take action against those who are doing it before its too late.
World Rivers Day Theme:
On the occcassion of World Rivers Day every year a specific theme is also designated for it focusing on one core issue which needs to be resolved and which is very concerning.
The theme for World Rivers Day 2022 is "The importance of Rivers to Biodiversity." The absolute need for rivers to keep any civilization going is the focus of this year’s theme. Not only humans, but rivers keep a wide range of animals and plant a living breathing part of our ecosystem.
Hence it is very important and urgent to conserve our rivers for the future of our planet as neglecting it would cause many serious consequences. So this theme also kind of work as a reminder and warning as well.
Most Searched FAQs on World Rivers Day:
1. When is World Rivers Day is observed?
World Rivers Day is annually observed on every fourth Sunday of September.
2. Which is the longest river in the world?
Nile is the longest river in the world with a length of 6,650 km.
3. How many rivers are there in the world?
There are approximately 165 major rivers in the world.