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Tracking progress towards achieving the SDG 6 goal of ‘clean water and sanitation for all’ In half the world’s countries, one or more types of freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, lakes and aquifers are degraded. River flow has significantly decreased, surface water bodies are shrinking or lost, ambient water is growing more polluted, and water management is off track. These are some of the findings of three reports tracking progress on freshwater by UN-Water and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP says water and sanitation data is essential for accountability, increased commitment and investments, and more effective decision-making. “The UN-Water Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG6 (IMI-SDG6) supports countries in monitoring water- and sanitation-related issues and compiling country data to report on global progress towards SDG 6.” The triennial series of reports focuses on progress towards achieving the SDG 6 goal of ‘clean water and sanitation for all’ through protecting and restoring freshwater sources. SDG 6 BY 2030: 8 Targets and 11 Indicators to achieve clean water and sanitation for all Based on more data sets than ever, the reports reiterate the call to scale up support for Member States in tackling challenges through the UN System-wide strategy for water and sanitation and the accompanying upcoming Collaborative Implementation Plan. “Our blue planet is being rapidly deprived of healthy freshwater bodies and resources, with dire prospects for food security, climate change and biodiversity,” said Dianna Kopansky, Head of the Freshwater and Wetlands Unit, Ecosystems Division at UNEP. “At this critical point, global political commitments for sustainable water management have never been higher, including passing a water resolution at the last UN Environment Assembly in February. However, they are not met by the required finance or action. Protection and restoration policies, tailored for different regions, are halting further loss and show that reversing degradation is within reach. We absolutely need more of them.” Widespread freshwater degradation A reported 90 countries, mainly in Africa, Central- and Southeast Asia, are experiencing the degradation of one or more freshwater ecosystems. Other regions, such as Oceania, have improved. Pollution, dams, land conversion, over-abstraction and climate change contribute to the degradation of freshwater ecosystems. Influenced by climate change and land use, river flow has decreased in 402 basins worldwide – a fivefold increase since 2000. A much smaller number is gaining in river flow. Mangrove loss due to human activities (eg, aquaculture and agriculture) poses a risk to coastal communities, freshwater resources, biodiversity, and climate due to their water filtration and carbon-sequestering properties. Significant decreases in mangroves were reported in Southeast Asia, though the overall net rate of deforestation has levelled off in the last decade. Lakes and other surface water bodies are shrinking or lost entirely in 364 basins worldwide. A continued high level of particles and nutrients in many large lakes leads to algal blooms and lowoxygen waters, primarily caused by land clearance, urbanisation and weather events. Nevertheless, the construction of reservoirs contributes to a global net gain in permanent water, mainly in regions like North America, Europe and Asia. Low levels of water quality monitoring The poorest half of the world contributes under 3% of global water quality data points, including only 4,500 lake quality measurements out of almost 250,000. This reveals an urgent need to improve monitoring capacity. Lack of data on this scale means that by 2030, over half of humanity will live in countries with inadequate water quality data to inform management decisions addressing drought, floods, impacts from wastewater effluents and agricultural runoff. Good data available reveals that freshwater quality has been degrading since 2017. Where data is lacking, the visual signs are not promising. Report authors recommend expanding and developing routine government-funded monitoring programmes, incorporating citizen science into such national programmes, and exploring the potential of satellite-based Earth observation and modelled data products to help fill the data gap. The importance of integrated water resources management Balancing competing needs for sustainable water use from society and the economy requires implementing integrated water resources management (IWRM) across sectors at all levels and across borders by 2030. Forty-seven countries have reached or almost reached IWRM, 63 countries need to accelerate implementation, and 73 countries have only limited capacity for IWRM. Wastewater: ~80% of wastewater is released directly into water bodies without treatment At the current rate of reported progress, the world will only achieve sustainable water management by 2049. This means by 2030, at least 3.3 billion people in over 100 countries will likely have ineffective governance frameworks to balance competing water demands. Solutions include unlocking finance through revenue raising and cost recovery arrangements, investments in infrastructure and management and coordinated action, greater institutional capacity and better monitoring networks. What constitutes quality water? A ‘good’ rating indicates an ambient water quality that does not damage ecosystem function or human health according to core ambient water quality parameter groups that are relevant globally. For global reporting (level 1 of the indicator), overall water quality is estimated based on an index, which incorporates data on five core parameter groups, which inform on severe water quality impairments present in many parts of the world: Oxygen (surface water). Salinity (surface water and groundwater). Nitrogen (surface water and groundwater). Phosphorus (surface water). Acidification (surface water and groundwater). SDG 6.3 specifically addresses improving water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. The methodology calls for in-situ measurements of these water quality parameter groups. The measured values are compared to national target levels for the different parameters, and if values meet targets 80% or more of the time, the water body is considered good. In addition, countries are invited to provide more detailed reporting on their ambient water quality (level 2 of the indicator), incorporating any data on any water quality parameter that they consider relevant. For example, they can include data on heavy metals or biological parameters, or data collected through approaches other than the basic physical and chemical methods used for level 1, such as satellite-based earth observation techniques or citizen science initiatives. Level 1 reporting is important to track global progress and enable cross-country comparison, whereas level 2 reporting is necessary to address all aspects of SDGt arget 6.3 at the national level. ESI |
