World Rivers Day is dedicated to preserving and conserving water bodies. World Rivers Day is observed on the fourth Sunday of September every year. It falls on September 24 this year.

The rapid increase in population, aggressive growth of industry and urbanisation are creating stress on water resources, especially the rivers which are getting polluted. To keep them clean, people should always avoid littering around any water body. Planting trees in nearby spaces can also result in a slow but better conservation.

History

In 2005 a well-known river environmentalist, Mark Angelo, spoke at the United Nations on the conservation of water bodies. As a part of the Water for Life campaign, Angelo raised awareness about the fragile water bodies. He proposed an annual World River Day to attain the objective of the day. The initial World Rivers Day event was organised by people from different parts of the world. Since then, celebrating World Rivers Day has become an annual event.

Significance

The primary objective behind celebrating World Rivers Day is to raise public awareness concerning the cleanliness and conservation of rivers. This day is observed to bring people together to join in a noble mission to protect natural resources for the benefit of future generations and preserve the ecosystem. Pollution and drying out are the major threats to rivers.

World Rivers Day 2023: Theme

The theme for this year’s World Rivers Day is “Rights to Rivers”. This theme aims to spread the message about rivers as the treasure of all living beings.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)