BOGOTA - Across Colombia indigenous communities, artists and teachers sang in rivers, on Tuesday posed naked for artists and danced to indigenous music to attract attention to World Water Day and called on government leaders to take more action to protect water sources

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The renowned Aterciopelados music group summoned people to the "Singing to Water" ritual in which Colombians gather in wetlands, streams, waterfalls, lakes and rivers throughout the country, and simultaneously sing a hymn to the celebrate the source of water as precious.

The activity aims to raise awareness about the importance of water and through the power of the intentions, words, thoughts and emotions make people want to protect this resource, organizers said, who appealed for greater national and international awareness in order to protect water resources in Colombia.

In the Simon Bolivar Metropolitan Park of Bogota the ritual was led by various indigenous communities of Colombia that called on the national and international community to help protect the Colombian moorlands which are threatened with extinction.

Specifically, participants asked the national government not to issue an environmental license to the Canadian multinational company Greystar to continue the exploitation of gold and silver in the moorlands of Santurban in the north-eastern province of Santander.

In Santander, meanwhile, photographer David Navarro posed a special photo shoot called "Naked for the Moorland" in which a group of Colombians posed nude to draw attention to the effects of exploiting the natural resources.

Across Colombia from southern Cali to central Pereira and north-western Medellin other colombians joined the celebrations through messages on the social networks Facebook and Twitter.