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This march helped to bring attention to the present water crisis taking place all over the world, our nation, the state and the City of Los Angeles. 

We chose March 22nd so our march would coincide with World Water Day.  Through this march we took on the commitment to bring people together on this most important topic and resource.  While bringing awareness to local issues relating to water, we also had an opportunity to bring attention to world water issues impacting fellow humans around the world.

There is no denial that we are in a critical time as it relates to water resources.  A majority of us don’t pay to much attention when we open our faucets at home to wash dishes or run the shower.  Turning on the tap is usually an effortless decision.  Yet, when we flush the toilet, we use as much water as most people in Kenya use in an entire day.  People, mostly women and children, walk as far as 5 miles daily to get this water.  Around the world there are nearly 1.1 billion people without adequate drinking water.

Only about 2.5 percent of the Earth's water is fresh and suitable for drinking. Climate change, pollution, and the unsustainable use of water are depleting this limited supply. In Peru, nearly all drinking water comes from glaciers that are melting fast and may be completely gone by 2015. Across Africa, all 667 major lakes are drying up. Lake Chad, once the third-largest lake in Africa, has shrunk by 90 percent.

World Water Day

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.  Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater.

This year, the theme for World Water Day was "Shared Water - Shared Opportunities". Special focus was placed on transboundary waters. Nurturing the opportunities for cooperation in transboundary water management can help build mutual respect, understanding and trust among countries and promote peace, security and sustainable economic growth.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) leads the activities of the World Water Day 2009 with the support of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Download the route map