By Kathleen Ladislaus

March 22 marks World Water Day.

The theme of the United Nations World Water Day 2026 is “Water and Gender: Where Water Flows, Equality Grows.”

It’s about the critical relationship between water, women, and gender equality.

Water, the elixir of life, makes the planet we live on the beautiful blue orb it is from space. Water is precious, but billions of people around the globe live with water scarcity.

Women and children, disproportionately, are the most vulnerable to limited supply and inadequate quality.

In Canada, we live in a water rich nation. It is not unlimited nor guaranteed to be safe to drink. Our abundant resource is the envy of other nations who do not have enough.

Water is subject to contamination from agricultural runoff, microplastics, forever chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and industrial activities such as mining and fossil fuel extraction. Climate changes present threats to our water supply, glacier thaw and droughts.

The preservation of potable water is essential to life worldwide.

To learn more about this year’s theme, Water and Gender, please visit the United Nations World Water Day webpage.