Bringing groundwater to the surface on world water day

This year’s World Water Day showcases the theme “Groundwater – Making the invisible visible”. It draws attention to the hidden water resource that has always been critically important, but not fully recognized, in sustainable development.

Groundwater makes up 99 % of all freshwater that is not frozen. It provides nearly half of the world’s population with drinking water and contributes to about half of the global food production. For some 2.5 billion people in the world, groundwater is their one and only source of freshwater.

World Water Day enables us to take stock of how standards are making a difference for people who do not have the water they need. Whether it’s exploring, protecting and sustainably using groundwater, standards are key to surviving and adapting to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population.

When we protect groundwater, we save lives and ecosystems, improve health, reduce hunger and tackle climate change all at once. We must therefore increase understanding of groundwater so we can improve its governance and protect this vital resource. Newly updated EVS-EN ISO 5667-1 sets out general principles for sampling of water in order to assess water quality.

Standards are tools designed to assist policy- and decision-makers in exploring suitable solutions for complex groundwater issues. Their use at national level can accelerate the overall objectives of ensuring that groundwater resources can support their identified beneficial uses and values in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and acceptable manner.

Reaching the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030 requires that we invest in adequate infrastructure, measurement and management to protect water throughout its cycle, including under ground.