Valuing water is the focus today as entities across the globe mark World Water Day 2021.

This year, effort is being made to specifically recognise the crucial role of healthy ecosystems in maintaining water supplies around the world.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), never before has the call for water security — or the call to protect the natural ecosystems that help underpin it — been so urgent.

“Today, 2.2 billion people — about one-fourth of the global population — still lack access to safe water, global water demand is projected to increase by 55 per cent by 2050, a 40 per cent water deficit is projected by 2030, and water-related losses could reduce GDP [gross domestic product] by as much as six per cent in some regions by 2050,” said the UNDP in a message to mark the day.

In Jamaica, Lifespan Spring Water is joining counterparts across the globe in celebrating the day.

World Water Day was formally proposed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and has since been commemorated on March 22 each year.

It is celebrated as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

“World Water Day is a reminder to each of us that we are responsible for the protection, care, and sustainable use of our freshwater resources. World Water Day 2021 is about what water means to people, its true value, and how we can better protect this vital resource.

“At Lifespan, it has always been paramount that we operate in perfect harmony with the natural environment, and it remains our promise to provide not only a quality product, but one that is harnessed sustainably,” said Nayana Williams, CEO of Lifespan Spring Water, which operates from a 30,000-square-foot facility on approximately 40 acres of land in Portland.

“As a brand we are committed to supplying a superior product and this means implementing and observing quality and safety practices. The ground’s watershed and natural forest is protected to preserve the delicate balance of the environment,” the CEO added.

World Water Day 2021 is being celebrated under the theme ‘Valuing Water’. The focus is set to extend beyond issues of pricing to include the environmental, social and cultural value people place on water.