On March 22 we celebrate World Water Day, the natural element, without which our existence is unthinkable. Water is the environment in which living organisms emerged, it cleanses and maintains the balance in nature. At the same time it can be destructive and sweep away everything in its path. Just one day without this amazing source of life and the whole rhythm of our daily lives goes wrong. And when we have it in abundance we rarely think about the millions of people worldwide suffering from its absence. The declining amount of clean drinking water in recent decades makes protection of water resources become a priority for more and more countries around the world. So, the date March 22 causes people to think about the functions of water and its preservation. This is also the purpose of the "Week of Water 16 to 22 March" initiative, organized in the country for the third consecutive year, at the idea of the Bulgarian Association "I Love Water" and Bulgarian Water Association in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Water. It all started with the exhibition "Drinking Fountains of Bulgaria", which presented 50 of the most beautiful fountains in this country. Various thematic events, educational programs, creative workshops, laboratories for experiments with water were also organised:
"We have been working for a long time to have this day widely marked," says chairperson of I Love Water Association Antoaneta Salfidge. "We have been doing it with the idea to draw attention to water resources. The more this global initiative is affirmed, the stronger the emotion about this day gets. The holiday has become a great opportunity to make people think about it. Now in this season, when there is abundance of water, it is appropriate to talk about the force of water. We need to live in balance with the laws of nature, so we can use it. The essence of water is to preserve and give life. We can talk about water and sing songs about it, but we should also use our love, so it can be our friend."
World Water Day has been marked in a number of cities across the country. For the past four years, thanks to the "I Love Water" Association and the Bulgarian Water Association celebrations at home and abroad are shown online in real time. The event connects cities, institutions and non-governmental associations. Topics related to water and the new technologies used in water treatment are discussed. Fortunately, each year, these events provide an opportunity for dialogue between civic organisations and institutions on the main priorities in the preservation of water resources:
"As a representative of an NGO, I can say that at the very beginning institutions gave us a helping hand, despite they were a bit timid," Antoaneta Salfidge says."Both parties participate in the process of building trust.Views should be discussed and mutual decisions must be found. Both sides need to constantly exchange information and ideas. One of the results that we recognize each year is that institutions have started to look more actively for our cooperation. This means that not only the institutions have changed their attitude, but we as an organization have also been developing in the right direction. "
