World Lake Day being celebrated across the country

KATHMANDU: World Lake Day is being observed across various countries on Wednesday to raise awareness for the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of lake ecosystems.

This year marks the first observance of the day, following a resolution passed at last year’s UN General Assembly. The initiative was launched at the call of the United Nations.

According to the UN, the main objective of World Lake Day is to raise awareness of the importance of lakes and promote their conservation by engaging UN agencies, international, regional, and sub-regional organizations, civil society, the private sector, environmentalists, and educators.

The UN estimates there are more than 117 million lakes worldwide, covering about four percent of the Earth’s land surface. Against the backdrop of rising pollution, methane emissions and shrinking freshwater sources, the observance of World Lake Day has taken on added significance.

Lakes are vital for human life as they supply drinking water, support agriculture and industry, and sustain biodiversity. They provide habitats for countless species of fish, plants and wildlife.

With global temperatures rising, lakes are drying up at an alarming rate, while glacial melting continues to accelerate. These developments underscore the growing importance of lake and wetland conservation.

Lake Facts:

• There are over 117 million lakes on Earth. They cover nearly 4 per cent of the planet’s land surface.
• Although most freshwater is stored in glaciers and underground, lakes contain about 90% of the world’s surface supply, making them critical sources of readily accessible water.
• By 20250, lake ecosystem value could drop by 20%, pollution could more than double and methane emissions may surge—fueling both environmental damage and economic loss, if human civilization continues to put pressure on them.
• Freshwater species have declined by 85% over the past 50 years.

(With inputs from RSS)