Every 11th day of March, the world celebrates her World Plumbing Day. This celebration aims to increase people's awareness of the important role that plumbers play in order to provide us with clean and fresh water.
The first World Plumbing Day was held on March 11, 2010, a year after the World Plumbing Council provided details for the said celebration.
Why Celebrate World Plumbing Day?
Mankind has taken for granted the most important element in our lives; and that is clean, fresh, and safe water. Water is abundant in most countries, except for places that are in desert regions. People used to drink direct from the spring or from shallow holes they dig along river banks. There were brooks and streams with pristine water that is cool, clean, and safe to drink. But that was centuries ago, when many places were still uninhabited by man and therefore, unpolluted. The growth of big cities led to widespread diseases due to non-existing indoor plumbing. People have outhouses and the wastes do not go into septic tanks, but direct into the ground. During rainy season the dirt seeps into the ground and flows into the water-beds where the water used by people for washing, drinking, and cooking come from.
Modern indoor plumbing and excellent plumbing systems are essential to maintain enough clean and safe water sources. Hence, in cities where this system is not working well, there is a threat of water shortage - because most of the water sources have dried up and those that still exist have water that is contaminated with chemicals, and water wastes from the hundreds of thousands of residential units, factories, and business establishments. People in these places have to buy potable drinking water to keep away from water-borne diseases.
In order for the growing population to have a clean water resource, the plumbing and sewage systems must always be in top condition, so that leakage of polluted and contaminated water into the water-bed can be avoided. Although there are several purification methods used to process water from rivers and lakes to ensure pure enough water to drink, having a clean and safe water source is very important.
In developing countries, plumbing systems are not as well maintained as those in highly urbanized cities. Many houses seldom keep their plumbing system well-maintained, resulting in clogging of sewers. The streets become flooded with foul smelling and contaminated water that can cause several diseases. Toxic wastes can kill marine animals in rivers and streams and put into danger the livelihood and lives of people who rely on fishing for their food and source of income.
There are several activities to be conducted worldwide for the purpose of increasing people's awareness of the importance of the plumbing industry to the health and well-being of societies and nations all over the world. Schools can have presentations revolving on the contribution of plumbers to maintaining a healthy and safe water source and environment. Other activities are conferences and forums, poster making contests and essay writing contests with the theme revolving around the plumbing industry.
With the world wide celebration of plumbing day, people all over the world will come to realize the importance of the plumbing industry for a safe and healthy earth.