Report on Global Access to Water and Sanitation: A Sustainable Development Goal 6 Analysis

Current State of Global Water Access and its Impact on SDGs

A recent joint study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF highlights significant shortfalls in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The findings indicate a severe global crisis that also directly impacts SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

• Over two billion people, equivalent to one-quarter of the global population, still lack access to safely-managed drinking water.
• More than 100 million people remain dependent on surface water sources, including rivers, ponds, and canals, for their drinking water.
• Inadequate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services leave billions of people at an increased risk of disease.

Challenges to Achieving the 2030 Agenda

The report warns that the world is not on track to meet the 2030 target for universal WASH coverage, with progress moving too slowly to achieve SDG 6. This lack of progress presents a major obstacle to the broader 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• The goal of universal coverage by 2030 is described as “increasingly out of reach.”
• The WHO has stressed that water, sanitation, and hygiene are fundamental human rights and has called for accelerated action, particularly for the most marginalized communities, to meet the SDG targets.

Classification of Drinking Water Service Levels

The report categorizes drinking water services into five distinct levels, providing a framework for measuring progress towards the “safely managed” standard set by SDG 6.

1. Safely managed: Drinking water is accessible on the premises, available when needed, and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.
2. Basic: Access to an improved water source that takes less than 30 minutes to collect.
3. Limited: Access to an improved water source that takes more than 30 minutes to collect.
4. Unimproved: Water sourced from an unprotected well or spring.
5. Surface water: Water collected directly from sources like rivers, ponds, or canals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The primary Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) addressed in the article is:

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The entire article focuses on the global challenge of access to drinking water. It explicitly states that “More than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely-managed drinking water” and discusses the slow progress towards “universal coverage” of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. This directly aligns with the core objective of SDG 6, which is to “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  While not the main focus, SDG 3 is implicitly connected. The article mentions that “lagging water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services were leaving billions at greater risk of disease.” Lack of access to safe water is a major cause of waterborne diseases, thus hindering the achievement of good health and well-being for all.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.

   This target is directly referenced in the article. The text states that the world is “far off track to reach a target of achieving universal coverage of such services by 2030” and that this goal “is increasingly out of reach.” The mention of “safely-managed drinking water” and the statistic that “a full one in four people globally were without access” clearly points to the challenge of achieving this specific target.

2. Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all…

   This target is also relevant as the article repeatedly refers to “water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.” The joint study by the WHO and UNICEF covers these three interconnected areas, indicating that the lack of progress applies not just to drinking water but to sanitation and hygiene as well, which is the focus of Target 6.2.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several data points and definitions that serve as or imply official indicators for measuring progress towards the identified targets.

• Indicator for Target 6.1 (Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services):

  The article provides direct data for this indicator. It states that “More than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely-managed drinking water” and that “a full one in four people globally were without access.” It also provides the official definition used for measurement: “Safely managed, the highest, is defined as drinking water accessible on the premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.”

• Indicator for measuring the most vulnerable populations:

  The article implies an indicator for the most extreme lack of access by stating that “over 100 million people remaining reliant on drinking surface water – for example from rivers, ponds and canals.” This measures the proportion of the population at the lowest end of the service ladder, a key concern for ensuring no one is left behind.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: channelnewsasia.com