Water Cleanliness Week – what do duck releases and river cleanups have in common?

April 1 marks the start of Water Cleanliness Week, a reminder that protecting aquatic ecosystems is not an April Fool’s joke, but our collective responsibility. The week serves not only to raise public awareness of the dangers facing rivers, lakes and oceans, but also to inspire concrete action to reduce pollution and protect waters from degradation. Will it still be possible to release ducks in clean water?

Water Cleanliness Week – water is a common good

Water Cleanliness Week, which is celebrated from April 1 to 7, pays special attention to the need to protect water resources. During this time, river and lake banks and beaches are being cleaned up across the country, as well as educational campaigns to raise awareness of the consequences of water pollution. Water is the basis of life and human development, although we do not always realize this. Water Cleanliness Week not only reminds us of its crucial role in our lives, but also emphasizes the importance of being responsible for the state of the resource. And this one still leaves much to be desired.

Improperly treated or untreated industrial and municipal wastewater continues to enter rivers and water bodies. Intensive agriculture is also a problem, especially the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, but also the dumping of garbage into rivers and bodies of water. The result of these activities is the imbalance of aquatic ecosystems, which negatively affects, among other things. On biodiversity.

It is also important to remember that pollution from Polish rivers ends up in the Baltic Sea, worsening its condition and threatening the ecosystem. Mountainous and upland rivers, of which Poland has no shortage, quickly transport pollutants, causing harmful substances to accumulate precisely in the Baltic Sea. As a result, eutrophication, sewage ponding and coastal dumping are a sad reality faced by coastal residents and tourists.

Water Cleanliness Week – how to save water on a daily basis?

In the bathroom:

• turn off the tap while brushing your teeth – you can save up to 15 liters of water;
• Let’s fix a leaky faucet – 15 liters of water a day can leak through a small leak;
• choose a shower instead of a bathtub – you will use 10 times less water;
• Install an aerator in faucets – it will aerate the stream of water, reducing its consumption;
• Let’s not throw waste into the toilet and sink;
• Let’s limit the amount of laundry and cleaning detergents.

In the kitchen:

• Use the dishwasher only after it is completely full;
• collect rainwater for watering plants – this is a natural and ecological way to irrigate the garden;
• don’t waste water when cooking – cook covered and use pots of the right size.

In the garden:

• choose a flower meadow instead of a lawn – it requires less watering and serves biodiversity;
• Plant trees and shrubs – they retain water in the soil;
• use mulching – a layer of mulch around the plants reduces evaporation of water from the soil;
• Water the plants in the morning or evening, when the sun is less intense.

Letting go of the ducks – fun with a message

As much as one wants to say: who has never ducked on the water, let him be the first to throw a stone! As it turns out, it is a well-known and eagerly handed down from generation to generation form of fun and spending time with the family. What does letting go of ducks look like? All you have to do is find a flat stone and throw it on the water so that it bounces off the surface several times. This is quite a challenge and may involve striving to break records. For example, the longest distance covered by a duck is 120 meters. This record was set in 2010. On the other hand, three years later, the Guinness World Record for the number of bounces of ducks released was broken – they managed to do it 88 times!

The tradition of releasing ducks on the water originated in China, where it was practiced thousands of years ago. It was originally associated with religious rituals and symbolized purification from sin and fertility. Over time, the tradition spread to other countries, including Europe, where it gained new meanings. Americans have gone a step further, holding rubber duck races in rivers and streams. It is not only great fun, but also an opportunity to raise funds for environmental protection activities. The origins of this tradition date back to the 1980s. In the 1970s.

However, in order to have somewhere to let these ducks go, it is necessary to take care of the water level. Let’s react if we see wild garbage dumps. They can be reported to the emergency number 112 or to the regional water teams: [email protected], giving the exact location of the incident and a brief description. Although April 1 April Fool’s Day jokes are flowing widely, Water Cleanliness Week is drawing attention to deadly serious issues. Maybe in a while they will float away like a quacking duck, unfortunately, now, instead of laughing, one must act.