SDGs Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
SDGs Goal 6 is "Clean Water and Sanitation" - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Clean Water and Sanitation
SDGs Goal 6 is “Clean Water and Sanitation” - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Worldwide, one in three people do not have access to safe drinking water, two out of five people do not have a basic hand-washing facility with soap and water, and at least 892 million people continue to practice open defecation.
1 in 4 health care facilities lacks basic water services
Women and girls are responsible for water collection in 80% of households without access to water on premises.
Between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of the global population using an improved drinking water source has increased from 76 to 90%
Water scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population and is projected to rise. Over 1.7 billion people are currently living in river basins where water use exceeds recharge.
2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines
More than 80% of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal
Each day, nearly 1,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrheal diseases
Approximately 70% of all water abstracted from rivers, lakes and aquifers is used for irrigation
Floods and other water-related disasters account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/
What’s been suggested?
Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation has got the following 8 targets (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/).
6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.6 By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
6.A By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
6.B Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
Why that’s important?
The link above also had got a brief report Why It Matters
Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is a human right.
Water is essential not only to health, but also to poverty reduction, food security, peace and human rights, ecosystems and education. Nevertheless, countries face growing challenges linked to water scarcity, water pollution, degraded waterrelated ecosystems and cooperation over transboundary water basins.
How far are we?
In addition to “Why It Matters” above, Progress and Info is updated for each year and Sustainable Development Goals Report shows the key points of the latest situation and prograss related to Goal 6.
Between 2000 and 2020, the global population using safely managed drinkingwater and sanitation services increased by 2 billion and 2.4 billion, respectively. Despite the progress, 2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking-water services, 3.6 billion safely managed sanitation services and 2.3 billion basic hygiene services in 2020.
An assessment of rivers, lakes and aquifers of 89 countries and territories in 2020 indicates that the water quality of 72% of the water bodies assessed is good.
When a country or territory withdraws 25% or more of its renewable freshwater resources, it is water stressed. In 2018, global water stress was estimated to be 18.4%, an increase from 18.2% in 2015. Regions such as Western and Southern Asia and Northern Africa present very high levels of water stress at more than 70%.
Improving water use efficiency is a key measure that can contribute to reducing water stress in a country. Global efficiency increased from $17.30 per m3 in 2015 to $19 per m3 in 2018, a 10% increase.
To balance competing demands for water, many countries have strengthened water laws, developed relevant policies and reinforced institutions. Globally, the average implementation rate for the integrated management of water resources increased from 49% in 2017 to 54% in 2020. The current rate of progress needs to double, as 129 countries are not on track to achieve sustainable management of water resources by 2030.
…Again, I will read studies and reports relevant to this goal and keep updating this post or even write an individual post for each subtopic!