When there’s already so much talk about the harmful effects of water pollution, why do we need a special day dedicated to rivers? Although most of us are aware of the problem, we may not know how we can participate to be part of the solution. Because a large proportion of the Earth’s population relies on fish for sustenance, we need to actively prevent the degradation of rivers as a result of industrial waste and maintain the balance of the underwater ecosystem.
Understanding this, Mark Angelo proposed a global event celebrating rivers in their beauty and necessity. A worldwide water advocate, Angelo tasted success after organizing the British Columbia, Canada Rivers Day in the 1980s, and wanted to replicate the same globally. The U.N. responded positively to his idea as it matched their theme, ‘Water for Life Decade.’
The first World Rivers Day was celebrated in 2005, and all climate change activists showed their solidarity by organizing the very first World Rivers Day event. Today, World Rivers Day is observed in 100 countries around the world, where those involved show the community and society at large how they can limit the threats to depleting waterways. In 2019, a draft to protect the highly polluted but life-giving Yellow River in China through natural resources became formalized on World Rivers Day.
Under The Harvest Moon 