Try imagining your day today if you did not have access to water or your toilet.  You wouldn’t be able to brush your teeth, flush the toilet, wash your hands, take a shower, or drink a glass of water.

For those of us who seem to have plenty of water, it may be hard to grasp that more than 1 billion people live without access to safe drinking water and that 2.6 billion people are without access to a toilet or any kind of basic sanitation. Even more startling, this problem is responsible for waterborne illnesses that kill 5 million people annually and nearly 6,000 children daily.

This is without a doubt the most pressing environmental public health crisis on the planet.

And March 22nd, the day designated as World Water Day, brings the international community together to devote this day to recognize this crisis and set up concrete activities to address it. Political satirist Steven Colbert even dedicated his Thursday night episode of “Colbert Report” to the water issue.  Amid the humor and jokes, his point was clear — we are facing a serious problem and action needs to be taken.

Luckily, we live in a world that is filled with opportunities and technologies that can help thousands, if not millions, of people gain access to safe water and sanitation.  It is my hope that we find a way to elevate the political will in both the developed and developing world to mobilize the necessary amount of resources in both dollar and human capital to make progress towards alleviating this daily burden for over a billion people.

Because I cannot think of a better way to say this, I will end with a quote from the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, “World Water Day offers a chance to spotlight these issues, but this year, let us go beyond raising awareness -- let us press for action to make a measurable difference in people’s lives.”  (Text of the secretary-general's remarks on World Water Day.)