What is World Plumbing Day?

‘Any reason for a celebration, right?’. That was the comment the baker made when I ordered some cupcakes for our Point Cook plumbing team for World Plumbing Day.

I smiled and carried the cute (and delicious) treats out to the car, careful not to squish the edible toppers that I had branded with our logo and taps on them, a gift for our hardworking team on a day named for them.

Driving them to the shed, I kept thinking about the baker’s comments. We were celebrating World Plumbing Day by holding a get together with pizzas at the yard, thanking them for working hard for the betterment of our industry (by providing plumbing maintenance in Melbourne’s western suburbs). But the real reason for having a day to acknowledge plumbers isn’t for their hard work at all, its to highlight how imperative our industry is in reducing deaths due to unsafe sanitation.

The World Plumbing Council initiated World Plumbing Day to spread awareness of the importance of plumbing in protecting public health.

Whilst this is mainly achieved by celebrating our plumbers worldwide, it’s imperative for us in the industry to understand the true purpose of the day.

60% of the world’s population lacks safely managed sanitation. That’s 4.5 BILLION people (source – World Plumbing Council).

361,000 children die each year due to water born diarrhoeal diseases caused by open defecation near waterways. That’s heart-breaking, and hard to fathom in my cutesy cupcake eating part of the World.

Researching the rationale behind World Plumbing Day reminded me that it isn’t just a token excuse for an event. It’s to raise awareness of how vital our industry is in protecting public health. Our industry is crucial in disease prevention and saving lives.

So, whilst I enjoyed those bloody adorable cupcakes, and I’ll continue to pat my Point Cook plumbers on the backs for working hard, I also made a pledge to myself to ensure I continue to help educate our community about the importance of World Plumbing Day.

McCarthy Plumbing Group also made a donation to the Australian Red Cross Flood Appeal to assist in the disaster clean up and provide fresh water to those affected, in the name of World Plumbing Day.