Juba, August 31 2020: Celebrated every fourth Sunday of September, this year’s International World Rivers Day highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world. Rivers in virtually every country face an array of threats, and only through our active involvement can we ensure their health in the years ahead.
In South Sudan, climate change has affected people negatively with massive flooding of the River Nile affecting hundreds of people in areas of Jonglei and Upper Nile states. Of these, women, children and the elderly are the most affected.
Man’s activities especially poor plastic disposals and oil pollution have largely contributed to contamination of the River Nile in the country. Like the South Sudan NGO Forum puts it in their social media accounts “Just do the simple math. You drop the plastic bottle on the ground, it rains, it all flows into the Nile, some fish eats it, and then that fish is taken from the Nile, we come eat it – we are the end product of what happened in the first place. We are just hurting ourselves.”
Our activities not only affects us, but also marine life which in turns affects the planet. As the day draws near, it is our immense responsibility to protect our water tributaries for the coming generation.
In 2005, the United Nations launched the Water for Life Decade to help create a greater awareness of the need to better care for our water resources. Following this, the establishment of World Rivers Day was in response to a proposal initiated by internationally renowned river advocate, Mark Angelo.
The proposal for a global event to celebrate rivers was based on the success of BC Rivers Day, which Mark Angelo had founded and led in western Canada since 1980. A World Rivers Day event was seen by agencies of the UN as a good fit for the aims of the Water for Life Decade and the proposal was approved. River enthusiasts from around the world came together to organize the inaugural WRD event. That first event in 2005 was a great success and Rivers Day was celebrated across dozens of countries. Since then, the event has continued to grow.