The Value of H20: ANSI Pays Tribute to World Water Day Efforts

Standardization Efforts Support Global Water Goals

While 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, much of the globe is still facing a crisis: 2.2 billion people are living without access to safe H₂O. World Water Day on March 22 is an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful impact of water and a time to raise awareness about ongoing challenges, including pollution and sanitation. ANSI looks at the latest water-related efforts in the standardization arena.

World Water Day 2021

The United Nations Water campaign has announced that the theme of World Water Day 2021 on March 22 is "Valuing water." As the UN notes, the value of water is more than just its price, as "water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics, and the integrity of our natural environment."

A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. The goal includes achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for everyone, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations by 2030.

How Standardization Supports World Water Efforts

ANSI is proud to support and promote sanitation standards. A number of ANSI-accredited standards developing organizations work in the area of water treatment and management, including American Water Works Association (AWWA), American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), IAPMO, National Ground Water Association (NGWA), and NSF International.

Here is a look at just a few examples of water-related standards and recent efforts, too:

• The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) a member and audited designator of ANSI, recently announced that it has published a plumbing standard that helps prevent water waste. As ANSI recently reported, standards that alert home and business owners to small leaks can contribute to a more sustainable future with less wasted water. The standard ANSI/CAN/IAPMO Z1349-2021, Devices for Detection, Monitoring or Control of Plumbing Systems, published both as an American National Standard and a National Standard of Canada, supports the detection of wasted water in commercial and residential applications, covering devices for detection, monitoring, or control of water supply and distribution systems.
  
  
• The National Ground Water Association (NGWA), an ANSI member and accredited standards develope, earlier this month observed National Groundwater Awareness Week (GWAW) on March 7-13. The annual observance brings attention to the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater. GWAW activities and materials also encourage yearly water well testing and well maintenance, as well as the promotion of policies that impact groundwater quality and supply.
  
  
• As recycled water is one of the largest new sources of water for regions that may lack long-term availability of replenishable water resources, the American Water Works Association, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, is offering a complimentary webinar on Water Reuse in India on March 24, 2021. The session will provide an overview to help convey the principals of water reuse along with considerations, regulations, treatment options, and keys to consumer confidence. This is just the latest AWWA effort, as the association has published several other standards that support water, including standards on disinfection of water, water storage tanks, and more.
  
  
• ANSI has also previously reported on the impact of the international standards and global sanitation. These include standards from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO 30500, Non-sewered sanitation systems Prefabricated integrated treatment units General safety and performance requirements for design and testing, and ISO 24521, Activities relating to drinking water and wastewater services - Guidelines for the management of basic on-site domestic wastewater. As explained in the video Sanitation Standards Explained in 2 Minutes, released in 2021, these standards can improve the outcomes for more than one billion people around the world who do not have access to toilets. These standards support both societies across the globe that lack access to adequate sanitation, and societies that are implementing sustainable alternatives to every-day products. Learn more at sanitation.ansi.org.

Read more about World Water Day 2021, and find out how international standards support H₂O in ANSI's previous coverage.