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

The guide outlines a church service and Sunday School activities designed to promote 'water discipleship'. It combines liturgical elements—such as prayers and a sermon—with educational content on the hydrological cycle and groundwater. The text specifically addresses the water-scarce reality of South Africa, highlighting the disparity between those facing 'Day Zero' conditions and those with excessive water use, while urging the adoption of water-wise practices to ensure generational justice.

• South Africa is identified as a water-scarce country where rainfall is only slightly more than half of the global average, necessitating a lifestyle where water scarcity is treated as the norm.
• Water access in South African cities reveals significant social injustices, contrasting citizens who experience 'Day Zero' by collecting water from standpipes with families who use irrigation systems for large lawns and multiple bathrooms.
• The document argues that the use of boreholes to access groundwater can become an issue of 'generational justice' because groundwater is a finite resource; excessive pumping can lower water tables and lead to saltwater contamination in coastal regions, as seen in Miami.
• To practice 'water discipleship' and preserve water for future generations, the guide recommends several practical actions: using grey water for toilets and gardens, creating water-wise gardens, reducing shower time, installing water harvesting tanks, and removing invasive water-consuming species.
• The text provides basic hydrological facts, stating that approximately 71% of Earth's surface is water-covered, with 97% being salt water and only 3% being fresh water.

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} }