IIASA and World Water Day 2022

As per the UN Water, the theme of this year’s World Water Day 2022 is Groundwater – making the invisible visible. Groundwater is water found underground in aquifers, which are geological formations of rocks, sands and gravels that hold substantial quantities of water. Groundwater feeds springs, rivers, lakes and wetlands, and seeps into oceans. Groundwater is recharged mainly from rain and snow fall infiltrating the ground. Groundwater can be extracted to the surface by pumps and wells. Life would not be possible without groundwater. Most arid areas of the world depend entirely on groundwater. Groundwater supplies a large proportion of the water we use for drinking, sanitation, food production and industrial processes. Groundwater is also critically important to the healthy functioning of ecosystems, such as wetlands and rivers. Overexploitation of groundwater can lead to land instability and subsidence, and, in coastal regions, to sea water intrusion under the land.

Under the theme of groundwater, the key messages of the 2022 campaign are:

• Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere.
• Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater, supporting drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farming, industry and ecosystems.
• What we do on the surface matters underground. We must only put harmless, biodegradable products on the soil and use water as efficiently as possible.
• Groundwater crosses borders. We must work together to manage transboundary groundwater resources.
• We cannot manage what we do not measure. Groundwater must be thoroughly explored, analyzed and monitored.
• Groundwater will play a critical role in adapting to climate change. We must protect and explore groundwater, balancing the needs of people and the planet.

Global Hydro-Economic Model (ECHO) 

ECHO is a bottom-up system analysis framework that can be used to develop integrated, long-term planning strategies for the water system. It can be used to inform the design of cost-effective and sustainable water policy decisions and to address the impacts of future changing socioeconomic and climatic conditions on water systems.

Water Quality Modeling (WQM)

IIASA WAT conducts water quality modeling for water availability and scarcity assessment, water-energy-land-environment nexus analysis, and identification of cost-effective solutions under long-term changes. The MARINA model is soft-linked to WAT CWatM and ECHO and is a model that is used to quantify current and future nutrient export to coastal waters for selected large river basins under different socio-economic development and climate change pathways. 

Water Games: A joint initiative by IIASA and the Centre for Systems Solutions

With the growing population and environmental degradation, we are at a point where around 60% of people do not have access to sufficient and stable freshwater resources. How to address different water challenges? How to safeguard water resources for the benefit of our livelihood, culture, and environment?

Games and Simulations can provide exciting and insightful ways to raise awareness, develop empathy, and explore the opportunities and limitations of achieving clean and accessible water for all. IIASA and the Centre for Systems Solutions have been collecting and describing such water-related games and their applications on the Water Games website for several years. 

Visit the Water Games page on the Games4Sustainability website to find tools to promote change towards sustainable behaviors. Join us to celebrate World Water Day 2022 and Sustainable Development Goal 6 to ensure clean water and sanitation for all.