ON WORLD Water Day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) implores global leaders, citizens and all stakeholders to accelerate concerted action and efforts to protect and preserve glaciers and all water supplies as they are vital sources of water and climate stabilisers for future generations.
World Water Day is commemorated annually on 22 March. The day is meant to celebrate water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water in the world including taking action to tackle the global water crisis.
In 2025, the UN chose “Glacier Preservation” as the theme for World Water Day. This puts glacier preservation at the core of action plans to tackle climate change and the global water crisis.
Celebration of World Water Day also comes at a time when the world is commemorating the inaugural World Day for Glaciers after having been proclaimed by the UN General Assembly.
Glacier preservation is essential for prosperity, security and justice as glaciers act as nature’s vaults, which hold a precious resource in the world.
Despite the critical importance of glaciers, millions of people are suffering from and feeling the devastating effects of the melting glaciers seen through shortage of drinking water, flooding and rising sea levels.
Although Zimbabwe is not endowed with glaciers, it is critical to understand their importance to water supply and for everyone to support campaigns to preserve them because no matter where we live, the accelerated melting of glaciers has economic, social and environmental impact and consequences.
In Zimbabwe, the effects of climate change are being painfully felt as people grapple with clean water shortages, which has resulted in lives being lost owing to the outbreak of medieval diseases such as cholera and other water-borne diseases.
It is concerning that local authorities and central government have started entertaining the retrogressive ideas and plans of privatisation and commodification of water, which will lead to water becoming expensive and inaccessible to many, thereby violating the right to water and hamper efforts to solve the country’s water crisis and derail the achievement of Goal 6 of Sustainable Development Goals, which seeks to ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Local and central government should realise and start treating access to safe, clean and potable water as a human right as guaranteed in section 77 of the Constitution.
ZLHR is also disturbed about the contamination of crucial primary water sources across the country through discharge of raw sewerage and mining activities which endangers the lives of people and animals.
It is the duty of all stakeholders to protect and preserve primary water sources from contamination as well as taking preventive measures to ensure that water pollution does not recur or is otherwise minimised in future.
In order to preserve glaciers and protect primary water sources and the environment for the benefit of present and future generations, ZLHR calls upon government, private sector, civil society, global leaders and citizens to;
- Make the right to access to safe, clean and potable water and a healthy environment a reality for all people and communities and protect and preserve the environment;
- Ensure attainment of water and sanitation for all by 2030;
- Mitigate climate change, which is essential to protecting communities and ecosystems and securing vital water resources for the future;
ENDS
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Kodzero/Amalungelo House
No. 103 Sam Nujoma Street, Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: (+263 8677005347, +263 242 764085/705370/708118
Email: info@zlhr.org
www.zlhr.org.zw
FOLLOW US:@ZLHRLAWYERS ON X| ZIMBABWE LAWYERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
ON FACEBOOK
