World Water Monitoring Day

Have you given much thought to the quality of water around you? Perhaps not, but thousands of others throughout the world have. Each year since 2002, participants around the world have taken part in World Water Monitoring Day and the programme has steadily grown with 122,000 participants from 81 countries taking part in 2009.

Coordinated by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the International Water Association (IWA), this important annual outreach invites citizens throughout the world to monitor the quality of local streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and other water resources anytime between March 22 (World Water Day) and December 31 and report the results on an international database.

You don’t have to be an experienced water monitor to participate. An easy-to-use test kit will enable everyone regardless of age or experience to sample for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, pH (acidity), turbidity (clarity) and dissolved oxygen (DO). Results can then be shared with participating communities around the globe through the World Water Monitoring Day Web site.

On Location

On February 18, 2009 twenty-five 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders from Michail Lakatnick Primary School in Bourgas, Bulgaria participated in water monitoring as part of their weekly eco-club. Bourgas is an area blessed with access to many diverse bodies of water. The surrounding area comprises the largest wetlands complex in Bulgaria and consists of three lakes and the Black Sea.

The children tested freshwater samples from Lake Mandra, brackish water from the nature conservation center PODA, and salt water from the Black Sea.

The testing began with a discussion about how much water exists in the world, what is accessible to us, and why it is important to conserve and protect our water. Using the monitoring kit from the Global Water Network the students took turns testing turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen and temperature.In addition to water samples, sediment samples were also taken to show the students the difference in habitats. Their surprising conclusion – Water that appears dirty can actually be quite healthy and contain a variety of macro-invertebrates and plant life necessary for the survival of other animals. Click here for other ‘on location’ stories from around the world