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RAS question

What was the theme of World Water Day 2026, observed on March 22?

Correct answer: (A) Water and Gender.

UN-Water identified Water and Gender as the theme for World Water Day 2026, observed on 22 March.

  1. (A)

    Water and Gender

  2. (B)

    Valuing Water

  3. (C)

    Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible

  4. (D)

    Water for Peace

Explanation

World Water Day is a United Nations observance held on 22 March every year since 1993, and UN-Water sets its annual theme. For 2026, UN-Water lists the theme as Water and Gender, making option A the only match. The India-specific context shows why this theme matters for RAS: the Jal Shakti Ministry hosted a Delhi conclave with 700-plus delegates, India's per capita water availability is stated as falling from 5,200 cu m in 1950 to about 1,400 cu m in 2024, and Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 was announced to sustain tap water supply for 15 crore households.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (B) Valuing Water was the 2021 World Water Day theme in UN-Water's theme list, not the 2026 theme.
  • (C) Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible points to the 2022 groundwater theme, while UN-Water lists Water and Gender for 2026.
  • (D) Water for Peace belongs to the 2024 focus around Leveraging Water for Peace, not to UN-Water's 2026 theme.

Concept

This tests international environmental observance themes within Environment & Ecology current affairs. It recurs in RAS because the UN theme connects to Indian water governance, falling water availability and Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.

Source

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