World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, is an annual United Nations Observance focusing on the importance of freshwater - yet many parts of the world, including Catalonia, Spain, are observing their worst droughts in decades.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Spanish region of Catalonia is experiencing one of the worst droughts in living memory. At no point in the last century have water shortages been so severe.
Last month, officials in the northeast Spanish region declared a drought emergency, with reservoirs that serve six million people - including the population of Barcelona - under 16 percent of their capacity - a historic low.
Spain has seen three years of below-average rainfall amid record high temperatures, and conditions are only expected to get worse because of climate change, which is predicted to impact the Mediterranean area faster than other regions.
Many areas of the Americas and Africa are also currently experiencing drought conditions.
World Water Day - created by the United Nations in 1993 - raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It's theme this year is "Leveraging Water for Peace."
Watch the full report in the video above.
