With World Rivers Day taking place on the fourth Sunday of September, it’s time for us to reflect on the significance of rivers. The best way to celebrate these Earthly lifelines on September 24 is by reducing water pollution. Although this cannot be accomplished in a single day, we can begin by raising awareness about methods to restore our rivers to their natural state.
The background of World Rivers Day
Approximately 65 percent of the United States’ drinking water originates from rivers. Rivers allow us to generate electricity, irrigate agriculture, and obtain potable water. Because of this, prosperous cities such as Amsterdam, Bangkok, and Berlin were founded along rivers.
Why do we need a special day dedicated to rivers when there is already so much talk about the negative impacts of water pollution? Even though the majority of us are aware of the problem, we may not know how to contribute to the solution. Because a significant portion of the world’s population depends on fish for sustenance, we must prevent the degradation of rivers caused by industrial refuse and preserve the aquatic ecosystem’s equilibrium.
Mark Angelo proposed a global event that would commemorate the beauty and importance of rivers. Angelo, an advocate for water on a global scale, wished to replicate his success in organizing the British Columbia, Canada Rivers Day in the 1980s on a global scale. The United Nations responded favorably to his proposal because it aligned with their theme, ‘Water for Life Decade.’
In 2005, the first World Rivers Day was observed, and all climate change activists demonstrated their solidarity by coordinating the event. Today, World Rivers Day is observed in 100 countries around the globe, with participants demonstrating to the community and larger society how to mitigate the threats to dwindling waterways.
World Rivers Day in 2019 formalized a proposal to protect the highly polluted but life-giving Yellow River in China through natural resources.
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5 RIVER-RELATED FACTS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
Over eleven countries share the water resources of the river Nile in Africa, and the complete length of the river is a whopping 4,132 miles.
The river’s depth is approximately 700 feet.
The Cano Cristales is also known as the River of Five Colors due to its distinct hues.
The Roe river in Montana is the shortest river in the world, measuring only 201 feet in length.
El Paso, Texas, despite being one of the safest communities in the world, is separated by a river from Juarez, the most dangerous city in the world.
WORLD RIVERS DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | September 25 | Sunday |
| 2023 | September 24 | Sunday |
| 2024 | September 22 | Sunday |
| 2025 | September 28 | Sunday |
| 2026 | September 27 | Sunday |
