UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)

To mark the first ever #WorldLakeDay, I want to share the stories of two lakes I’ve visited. Two vital ecosystems on two very different paths. 🇰🇪 In Kenya, Lake Naivasha is thriving. Locals describe it as the backbone of their community, connecting fishermen, farmers and families. People spoke of care and responsibility, of protecting the lake so it can sustain life for generations to come. 🇧🇴In Bolivia, Lake Poopó has vanished. Once the country’s second-largest lake, it dried up completely in 2015. Old boats lie stranded, rotting in the dirt. Livelihoods lost, lives altered forever. Lake Naivasha shows what’s possible. Lake Poopó shows what’s at stake. The choice is ours.

I’ve seen what drought leaves behind. 🪣 In Kenya, herders formed human chains to pull water from deep, drying wells. 🌾 In South Africa, a young farmer asked me, “what hope do I have? To pray for rain, or leave my farm?” 🚢 In Uzbekistan, I ran across the dry bed of the Aral Sea, past fishing boats stranded in the dust. 🌉 In Europe, I ran under bridges where water once flowed — the Rhine, the Danube and the Loire were running so low that boats couldn’t move. 🕳️ In Turkiye, overwithdrawal of groundwater left the land scarred with sinkholes. These stories are unfolding across continents, industries and communities, reminding us that water is not your problem or mine. Water is everybody’s business. #DesertificationAndDroughtDay