A SPIRITUAL IMPERATIVE FOR THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me, and drink.” John 7:37
Last month, during the first week of December 2025, the global water community gathered in Marrakech, the former imperial city of Morocco, for the 19th Annual World Water Congress. Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and co-organized by the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), the prestigious event gathered policymakers, practitioners, civil leaders, and private sector representatives to exchange knowledge about “Water in a Changing World: Innovation and Adaptation.” Based on the groundbreaking research that was presented, the plenary developed actionable strategies for confronting the growing complexities of sustainability in the face of the unprecedented challenge of the global water shortage.
I am certain you will agree that the lack of clean water is a profound injustice. According to the United Nations, approximately 2.2 billion people currently are unable to access fresh drinking water. Apart from scientists and politicians, the crisis demands action by faith and value-based individuals who are interested in protecting the shared resource of water and advocating for solutions for those that die from its increasing scarcity. As we then enter 2026, the year that also marks the final 5-year cycle of the UN’s 2030 Agenda (2015), I would like to use this edition of Frankly Speaking to discuss the physical as well as spiritual dimensions of water, as the problem of thirst is also a spiritual imperative that requires multi-faith ethical cooperation for global health, justice, and the love of neighbor.
The UN warns that by 2050, over half of the global population could live in areas experiencing the stress of severe water shortage. Consequently, the advance of the sixth of the organization’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals of its 2030 Agenda, is essential if world leaders are interested in ensuring the future availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The earth is predominantly comprised of water. Despite this, only 2.5% of it is new, and less than 1% is easily accessible and safe for humans to use. Concerns about health, food stability, energy production, and environmental protection are just some of the issues that are a direct result of this phenomenon. Malnutrition, the spread of diseases, and the worsening of poverty are, additionally, linked to unhealthy water quality and sanitation habits. Most demographers agree, that, due to rapid population growth and unpredictable severe weather fluctuations throughout the globe, access to sustainable water sources is a critical concern that will only worsen if left unchecked.
Tragically, many nations treat fresh water like it is infinite, wasting, polluting, and privatizing it. As a consequence, over 700 children die every day from diseases linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation. The following are several other alarming concerns:
- As previously mentioned, over 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water services.
- Approximately, 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity at least one month a year.
- Agriculture accounts for about 70% of global freshwater use.
- By 2050, water demand could increase by 55%, driven by industry, energy, and population growth.
- And finally, 80% of global wastewater is actually allowed to flow-back into nature untreated.
In order to improve the world’s precarious water situation and effectively address these critical issues, the General Assembly of the 2025 World Water Congress recommended the following 4 comprehensive strategies:
- Support the integration of water resources through the planned development and management of water, land, and other resources that are connected to them.
- Improve economic and social well-being while protecting ecological systems by allocating appropriated funds into infrastructure. This would include building water supply and sanitation facilities as well as better irrigation systems for farming.
- Expand institutional capabilities and policy frameworks by developing laws and policies about water that consider the needs of the most vulnerable people. And finally,
- Facilitate collaboration and participation among local communities, businesses, civil society groups, and government agencies in order to develop new ideas and make water management methods more inclusive and long-lasting.
The legacy of pure water has a long history of creative purification methods that ensured the safety of the world’s drinking water. Over the millennia, a myriad of human innovations profoundly impacted civilization by boosting health and life expectancy. Archeological evidence supports the claim that the ancient Egyptians were the first to invent and use filtration, siphons, and heat to safeguard the quality of their water reservoirs. Roman Engineers later mastered large-scale water management with aqueducts for urban supply, setting precedents for long-term infrastructure.
In addition to the archives of human ingenuity, all of the world’s religious faith traditions emphasized the origin and respect for water’s spiritual disposition. Holy Scripture, for example, is replete with references that emphasize the foundational aspect of water to life (Genesis 1:2). In fact, water is understood as the primary element of creation and for spiritual rebirth (John 5:3). The prophet Isaiah envisioned how God’s people would one day “draw water with joy from the well of salvation” (12:3). He additionally prophesied that God would bless the coming kingdom by “pouring out water on the thirsty land, and streams” (44:3). Like Isaiah, the prophet Jeremiah acknowledged previous biblical writers by emphasizing that the “Lord Himself is the Fountain of living water” (17:13).
The Gospel writers refined the Old Testament’s theological understanding of water. The account of Jesus at the well, described in the Gospel of Saint John, insightfully illustrates that while physical water may quench the thirst of the body, the spiritual, or what the evangelist refers to as “living water,” satisfies deeper needs such as forgiveness, grace, and God’s presence (John 4). As a result of this sacred affiliation, Saint Mark emphasized Jesus’s admonition that the “giving of a cup of water to the thirsty” is an ethical responsibility of humanity (9:41).
In his Letter to the Hebrews, Saint Paul expanded the message of the aforementioned Gospel writers by encouraging his audience to approach God “with hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed with pure water” (10:22). He reminds them of the “spiritual drink that Isreal drank from the spiritual rock that followed them” during their sojourn in the wilderness (Cor. 10:2-3). Finally, by linking physical water to divine refreshment, to the Holy Spirit, purification, and to new life in Christ, the Book of Revelation unequivocably states, that the “river of the water of life flows from God’s throne” (22:1-2).
Apart from its theological underpinnings, a core function in many traditions is the use of holy water, or what is often referred to as “sacred water.” As water has the natural ability to cleanse physical realities, it was also utilized to extend spiritual purgative benefits as well. In Christianity, for example, the mere touching of holy water at church entrances recalls an individual’s baptism, new life, and entry into God’s family.
While prominent in Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican rites, similar concepts exist in other major world religions. A central element in Balinese Hinduism, for example, is the Tirtha, (Sanskrit for “crossing place”) a sacred site that symbolizes purification, healing, and spiritual cleansing. The revered Zamzam, on the other hand, is the designation for a miraculous water source from the sacred Well in Mecca, believed to have curative properties. In essence, water is perceived by most faith traditions as more than a physical element. It is considered a potent spiritual resource whose legacy has embodied health, purification, and divine presence across the millennia.
Twelve days after Christmas, on the 6th of January, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the Holy Day of Epiphany. Orthodoxy maintains the 3rd Century belief of Christendom that holy water is a visual aid for spiritual cleansing, protection from evil, and for the blessing of people and places. Rooted in the New Testament account of Jesus’ baptism by Saint John the Baptizer, the feast includes a liturgical ceremony called The Great Blessing of Water that commemorates the sanctification of water through the Grace of the Holy Trinity. The worship service is a powerful reminder of baptismal grace, and denotes the purification, healing, protection, and influence of the Holy Spirit on a believer’s life.
The theological foundations gleaned from the baptism of Jesus are profound. Through this act, Jesus is believed to have sanctified the Jordan River. As he had no need for purification, through his act of submission, he made the waters an instrument of salvation for humanity, as well as creation, that according to Saint Paul, “groans together” with us (Romans 8:22). Apart from being a reminder of baptism, the sprinkling of holy water on the faithful, their homes, and surroundings, marks their identity and dedication to God. It must here be emphasized, however, that the sanctified holy water is not a magic potion, tincture or elixir. On the contrary, it is perceived to be water in its original created state, the way it was meant to be prior humanity’s “fall.” As a gift that acknowledges its Creator, holy water is, therefore, a tangible channel of divine life that restores creation’s original flow back to the Source of Life.
His All-Holiness Bartholomew is the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, serving as the spiritual leader for over 300 million Orthodox Christians globally. Known for his pioneering efforts in environmental activism, the “Green Patriarch” views water as a sacred gift, a source of life and cleansing, and its pollution as a “grave sin against God and humanity.” Environmental care for Bartholomew is a spiritual duty, a “sacrament of communion.”
Speaking at the 2019 International Water Week (IWW) Conference in Amsterdam, Patriarch Bartholomew emphasizes that ecological crises, such as the clean water shortage, requires a “radical change of mentality” rooted in sacrifice, simplicity, and recognition of the interconnectedness of all creation. He connects water’s spiritual significance to baptismal purity, seeing the Cross plunged into water as symbolizing the transformation of the world, demanding a Eucharistic ethos for nature. “It is our responsibility,” he insisted, “as political and religious leaders, as communities and individuals, as companies and industries, to provide sustainable, clean and safe water resources for the future of our cities and our citizens, and of all people and our planet.”
Approached in such a dynamic fashion, acknowledging water’s physical as well as spiritual dimensions, solutions to the global water crisis might, therefore, transcend ethnicities, politics, science, and religious squabbles. People of all ages, nations, and faith traditions might be inspired to unite and solve the global problem by turning their respective physical, economic, scientific, and spiritual resources into powerful collective actions for health, justice, peace, and protection against evil.
Chuck Colson once told a true story of a group of middle eastern men that he invited to the United States for a series of meetings. Since it was their first time in modern civilization, they were amazed at the abundance of everything. When it came time to pack their bags and return home, Colson found them in their hotel room, trying to remove the faucets. He had to explain to them that the sink was not the source of water and, therefore, not the solution to their thirst.
It is interesting to note, that the last, and shortest of the seven statements made by Jesus from the cross, emphasized the problem of thirst. After suffering for several hours, He cried out, “I thirst” (John 19:29). Although the original Greek phrase requires the use of only one word comprised of four letters (διψῶ), Jesus’ request conveys the complex nature of the world’s water crisis. In this short expression, humanity was given a valuable glimpse into its existential need . . . the quenching of its perpetual thirst.
Dr. Frank Marangos is CEO and Founder of OINOS Educational Consulting. He received a Doctors Degree in Adult Education (Ed.D.) from NOVA Southeastern University (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) and a Doctorate in Ministry and Childhood Education (D.Min.) from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX). He is also a Certified Charitable Estate Planner (FCEP).
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