Yesterday people from around the world paused to reflect on the world's water crisis in support of World Water Day. Water is much more than something to quench our thirst or protect our health, it creates jobs and supports economic, social, and human development.

With Pembina Valley's high water table and the word flood lingering in the air, people are currently looking at our water as more of an issue rather than a resource. Cliff Greenfield Manager for the Pembina Valley Conservation District said on world water day people think about how they interact with water.

"Appreciate water, it's such a precious resource and water is life. World Water Day is when everyone needs to think about that," explained Greenfield.

Adding we need to think of water as a resource and not a problem.

" I understand that we are a little anxious right now, flooding can be a problem for people. However getting rid of the water quicker is not always the solution. We have to look at how we can turn that problem into a resource and how we can best use and maximize the use of it. We need to think about dealing with the water when it hits the ground, rather than when it collects and starts to become a problem downstream somewhere," said Greenfield.

Of the millions of people without safe water, most live in rural, hard-to-reach places. In parts of the world where the words high water or flood are common the resource can be taken for granted at times. Today, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours trekking to long distance sources, and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water.

Greenfield said if we live in a flood zone we should think about how we touch the water.

"The products we use to clean things up, there are products that are more water friendly than others. Basically, anything we put into the sewer or on land can end up in drinking water."

In today's world, over 1.5 billion people rely on water as part of their jobs. Nearly all jobs have some sort of need for water. Despite the undeniable link between jobs and water, millions of people whose livelihoods depend on water are not often recognized or even protected by basic labour rights.

World water day takes place on March 22nd each year. It's a day to celebrate water, a time to make a difference for those parts of the global population facing water-related issues. It's a day to learn how to manage our water now to protect this resource in the future.