Next to oxygen, water is the most vital substance you never think about. Thanks to the efforts of national authorities, water utilities, investors and other stakeholders, clean water will flow freely and in abundance as soon as you turn on the tap. Until it doesn't.

As a matter of fact, the silent, clockwork-like reliability of water services plus the invisibility of the related infrastructures are a big part of the sector's growing headaches: Pipe networks and pumps are out of sight and therefore out of mind, as are the huge amounts of brain, muscle and money it takes to keep them going and growing with an ever-rising consumption in the face of a looming climate crisis.

This wide-spread lack of awareness hurts recruiting: Young engineers seek out jobs where they make a real, visible difference. It also hurts investments, especially in the public sector. Investing into invisible is far less popular than building the next spectacular bridge or road. It hurts the bottom line of utilities, because water fees are political, and few understand the cost of the machinery between source and tap. Last, not least, lack of awareness means lack of care: Protecting water resources and using water in sustainable ways is not at the forefront of consumers minds, on the contrary.

All this has been the topic of heated discussions during congress sessions, webinars, and meetings, and the general consensus is that the water sector has to communicate as widely and frequently as possible, creating awareness and educating the public about the importance of water and the needs of the water sector.

Now IAWD, with support of the Regional Capacity Development Network (RCDN) for Water and Sanitation Services in South-East Europe and other partners, joins the effort.

In July, we launched a communication campaign under the title "Every Drop Matters". It is centered on our educational website "Just Add Water" that informs about water and its sustainable use, and will use viral messages to draw a young audience. The campaign is designed as an open-end snowball effort: Utilities and their associations, companies and individuals - pretty much everybody with a stake in the sector - can join and help to spread the message.

For more information, please look up JAW - Just add water or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. Do not hesitate to contact IAWD for more information on your options to just add awareness because every drop matters!