The preservation and rational use of water resources is one of the priority tasks of the entire human community, the Institute of Public Health (IJZ) announced on the occasion of March 22nd - World Water Day.
The Public Health Institute pointed out that safe drinking water, available in sufficient quantities, is one of the 12 basic indicators of the health status of the population.
The health institution said that World Water Day is celebrated with the aim of raising awareness of the two billion people who currently live without access to safe drinking water.
"One of the priority tasks of the entire human community is the preservation and rational use of water resources," the statement said.
The Institute of Public Health said that the theme of this year's World Water Day is "Save our glaciers," stating that glaciers are a source of life because they provide fresh water for people, animals, and plants.
As they explained, in December 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2025 the International Year of Glacier Conservation.
"The International Year of Glacier Conservation, World Glacier Day and this year's World Water Day theme "Glacier Conservation" aim to highlight the great importance of glaciers, i.e. raise global awareness of the climate system and hydrological cycle, as well as the economic, social and ecological impacts of changes in the Earth's cryosphere due to global warming," said the IJZ.
The health institution reminded that there are more than 275 thousand glaciers in the world, covering an area of about 700 thousand square kilometers.
They emphasized that glaciers are important water reservoirs that store about 170 thousand cubic kilometers of ice, which accounts for about 70 percent of the planet's freshwater.
"As temperatures rise, glaciers are melting faster, and they are retreating. The melting of glaciers affects global sea level rise, which is about 20 centimeters higher today than in 1900," the IJZ warned.
They added that as glaciers and snowfall decrease, water availability also decreases.
"Accelerated melting of glaciers is causing unpredictability in water movements, causing floods, droughts, landslides and rising sea levels, and these phenomena can lead to the destruction of many ecosystems," the statement said.
The IJZ also pointed to the UN warning that glaciers are now melting faster than ever before and that it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow glacial retreat.
The Institute of Public Health reminded that the largest glaciers in Montenegro existed on Komovi, Durmitor, Prokletije, Maglić, Volujek and other high mountains, and that today there are remnants of glaciation such as mountain cuts, glacial lakes and ice caves, especially on Durmitor.
"The World Water Day campaign encourages people to take action in their own lives to change the way they use, consume and manage water, which will contribute to reducing negative impacts," the IJZ said.
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