World Water Day service 2021: What does water mean to you?

This guide, produced by the Green Anglicans and published by WWF South Africa, provides liturgical materials and educational resources for a World Water Day service in 2021. It combines religious worship with ecological advocacy, focusing on water scarcity, social injustice in water access, and the importance of groundwater preservation, particularly within the South African context.

• The document describes South Africa as a water-scarce country where rainfall is just over half of the global average and varies significantly across different regions, including distinct summer and winter rainfall areas.
• Water access in cities is presented as a marker of social injustice, contrasting citizens who live 'Day Zero' every day—collecting water from standpipes and using unsafe communal toilets—with families who use irrigation systems for large lawns and fill swimming pools.
• The guide emphasizes the finite nature of groundwater and the risks associated with excessive borehole use, noting that over-pumping can lead to dropping water tables and, in coastal regions, saltwater contamination of aquifers.
• To act as 'water disciples,' the document suggests several practical water-saving measures: using grey water for toilets and gardens, replacing lawns with water-wise gardens, shortening showers, investing in water harvesting (such as jojo tanks), and removing water-intensive invasive species.
• The document provides global water statistics, stating that approximately 71 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water, with oceans holding about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water. It further specifies that 97% of all water on Earth is salt water, while only 3% is fresh water.
• The guide identifies Miami as a coastal city already experiencing the issue of saltwater contamination in its aquifers due to excessive groundwater use.

APA

Vermaak, N. (2021). World Water Day service 2021: What does water mean to you? WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/1_annexure_1_appendix_a.pdf

Chicago

Vermaak, Nicolette. World Water Day service 2021: What does water mean to you? WWF South Africa, 2021. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/1_annexure_1_appendix_a.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vermaak |first1=Nicolette |title=World Water Day service 2021: What does water mean to you? |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2021 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/1_annexure_1_appendix_a.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vermaak2021world, author = {Vermaak, Nicolette}, title = {{World Water Day service 2021: What does water mean to you?}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2021}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/1_annexure_1_appendix_a.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }