Clean Water and Sanitation

Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. This goal focuses on achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene by 2030. It also emphasizes improving water quality, reducing pollution, eliminating dumping, and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials.

Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the global population, a figure that is projected to rise as temperatures increase. Despite 2.1 billion people gaining improved water sanitation since 1990, dwindling drinking water supplies affect every continent. More countries are experiencing water stress, with increasing drought and desertification worsening these trends. By 2050, at least one in four people is projected to suffer recurring water shortages.

Achieving safe and affordable drinking water for all requires significant investment in infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and hygiene promotion. Protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems is also essential to ensure sustainable water management.

To reach this goal, over 800 million people who currently lack basic water services need to be reached, and the accessibility and safety of services for over two billion people need improvement. As of 2015, 4.5 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation services, and 2.3 billion lacked even basic sanitation. Ensuring universal access to these services is crucial for health, well-being, and sustainable development.