A group of renowned musicians and artists - including Loyiso Bala and Freshlyground's Zolani - have come together to collaborate on an anthemic and inspirational musical piece, called For Love Of Water, in recognition of National Water Week (21 to 27 March).

According to WWF, South Africa will, by 2025, have 1.7 percent less drinking water than it requires and at the present rate of consumption, our country could run out of drinking water by 2040. The For Love Of Water (Flow) initiative aims to raise awareness about the water crisis through music, and to inspire people to take action now.

Justin Friedman - Director of envionrmental organisation Greenhouse - said that the initiative is about bringing the different sectors of society together to unify on an issue that affects everyone.

"The thing about water that I really respect is that it is a leveller - it doesn't know who you are, what your status is, or where you come from. It affects us all equally, it's involved in everything we need from health care to development to energy to transportation to product distribution, and then of course it's the essence of who you really are," he said.

"When I make a statement like my name is Justin Friedman and I am for love of water then what I'm really saying is I am for the love of myself, others and the planet, because we are made up of 70 percent water - and what a powerful idea that is if we had to integrate it into our day to day lives. How much care and respect we would have for each other and for ourselves and for the planet," he added.

The artists all feel strongly about the cause and have put in their best efforts. The result is the song 'For Love Of Water', a beautiful and goosebump-inducing piece of music with impressive instrumentals, sweet harmonies, powerful solos, and superlative production.

Aron Turest-Swartz, formerly of Freshlyground, explained the origins: "About 10 years ago when we were starting Freshlyground we had a song called 'Flow' which Zolani and I used to perform  together in the early days but  never actually recorded it.

"Justin then approached me last year sometime about this project and we started to collaborate and work on this song, so we changed the lyrics and collaborated with new artists to create a new song, 'For Love Of Water'."

The song has recently been recorded with a line-up of South African and international artists. Dutch singer Stef Bos adds a rich sound with some Dutch lyrics while Mapumba provides a little French. Other artists include Michael Rennie (Mikanic), Neo Muyanga, Josie Field, Monique Helleberg, Samite from Uganda, and Yoav Saban.

Hellenberg, best known for her vocals on Goldfish hits, said: "I think it's just fantastic to be part of something like this, working towards something that is for all of us, something that benefits all of us. All we have to do is make music to play a part in helping."

The artists come from varying musical backgrounds and heritages, and the collaborative effort is about making people aware that we all have to work together if we are to make a difference to end the water crisis.

Stef Bos said: "I come from Holland and our country was born out of water so it means a lot to me. We need to take of ourselves and our planet and the future of our children".

Loyiso brought the message home: "About two weeks ago a pipe burst in my area, and we didn't have water for five days and during that time I realised that it's not easy living without water. Water is not only a commodity in terms of drinking, it's also a cleanser and we need water to cleanse, and there are people who actually have to walk long distances to try and get clean water and this is about respecting water."

Zolani said simply: "It's for the love of water."

* The song ' For Love Of Water' will be available for download on the For Love Of Water website and Facebook group.