World Water Day 2006:

Protect our Water, protect our culture!

22 March: World Water Day 2006 celebrated the cultural dimensions of water, with big events in Zambezia and Maputo. Each year a different United Nations agency is selected to coordinate the celebration of World Water Day around the world, and a different theme is chosen to reflect the many facets of freshwater resources. World Water Day 2006 was guided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the theme “Water and Culture”


In Mozambique the Ministry of Science and Technology was organizing two major events; one in Mocuba, Zambezia, the other at the Chissano Centre in Maputo – celebrating the cultural dimensions of water, as well as focusing on the problems related to lack of clean drinking water in this country. The events were implemented by DNA (The National Water Directorate) and CCA (the Scientific Council for Water), with support from UNESCO, UNICEF. World bank, The Dutch Embassy and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

World Water Day 2006 is part of the Water for Life Decade 2005-2015 set by the UN to boost the chances of achieving international water-related goals, such as the Millennium Development Goal # 7 – aiming to cut in half the proportion of people living without access to safe and clean drinking water by 2015.

Today 1,1 billion people in the world - one out of five – have no source of safe and clean drinking water. 1,6 million children die every year because of diarrhea diseases. Nearly 90 per cent of these diseases are attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Hygiene education and promotion of hand washing can reduce diarrhea cases by 45 per cent (source: WHO/UNICEF, UN World Water Development Report 2006)

We plan our cities near water; we bathe in water; we play in water; we work with water

Since ages communities have settled near water along river banks, on lake shores and coastal areas. We need drinking water to survive, and rely on water for food (fish), irrigation, transportation, recreation, bathing, cleaning and extraction of salt. Our economies are built on the strength of water transport - and the products we buy and sell are all partly water, in one way or another. Eighty percent of our bodies are formed of water, and two thirds of the planet's surface is covered by water: Our daily lives are built on water, and shaped by it. Water is our culture, our life.

The theme 'Water and Culture' highlights the fact that there are as many ways of viewing, using, and celebrating water as there are cultural traditions across the world. Sacred, water is at the heart of many religions and is used in different rites and ceremonies. Fascinating and ephemeral, water has been represented in art for centuries - in music, dance, painting, literature, and cinema - and it is an essential factor in many scientific endeavors as well.

Mozambique is rich in water resources, including rivers, lakes, underground water and a coastline of 2,780Km. The country can enjoy economic, social and cultural benefits in particular from fishing activities, water transport and hydroelectric power. And the Mozambicans and their visitors are entertained by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Water is valued and respected in all religions and cultures of Mozambique. Water is considered a symbol of social equity, well expressed in the old adage saying that “water falls on top of every roof and is always shared with neighbors and visitors”. The landscapes in Mozambican paintings are dominated by water. Places close to water are considered sacred. Water bodies large and small have provoked feelings of fear, respect, curiosity and joy.

More than half the people of Mozambique lack clean drinking water

Water is associated with cleanliness. Clean water means life, while contaminated water means disease and often dearth. The religious codes have rules for hygiene practices, often including water. Wisdom from the elders says that “a child that washes his/her hands will get to eat with the King,” as a means to motivate the young to wash their hands. The indigenous knowledge teaches us not to empty the water pot until rain falls, and that “the frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives”.

“Sufficient provision of clean water, water conservation and management of water resources can not be achieved without participation of the communities, and cultural beliefs and values can play an important role in teaching people to value and protect our water”, says Benoit Sossou, representative of UNESCO Maputo.

In spite of rich water resources, less than 40 % of the population in Mozambique has access to clean and safe drinking water. Zambezia is the province with the poorest water supply; only 14 % of the people in Zambezia have the possibility to drink clean water every day (Source: Mozambique MDG report 2005)

This is why the Government of Mozambique chose Zambezia and the community of Mocuba as the location for the main celebration of this year’s World Water Day. There were several cultural activities; dance, theatre and speeches and the Governor of Zambezia was chairing the event. The national Water Directorate (DNA) also sent smaller delegations to all provinces of Mozambique to spread awareness around water issues.

At the same time, the newly established CCA, Conselho Cientifica de Agua, arranged a full day event at Centro de Confêrencias Joachim Chissano, patroned by the First Lady, Her Excellency Maria de Luz Guebuza. The Minister of science and Technology and the Minister of Education and Culture were also present at the event.

Link: The 2nd UN World Water Development Report