The Water and Sanitation Challenge

The document examines the global water and sanitation crisis, noting that 673 million people lack toilets and 2.1 billion lack safe drinking water. It critiques previous international efforts, such as the Millennium Development Goals, for using low-ambition indicators, and advocates for the more holistic Sustainable Development Goal 6. The brief emphasizes the intersection of water security with climate change, environmental degradation, and social inequality, calling for increased financing, better governance, and a human rights-based approach to ensure no one is left behind by 2030.

• Significant gaps in global water and sanitation access persist, with 673 million people lacking home toilets, 2.1 billion lacking safe drinking water, and 4.3 billion using sanitation services that release untreated waste into the environment.
• The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) failed to accurately reflect progress because their indicators were set too low; for instance, 'improved' water sources did not account for water quality, and 'improved' sanitation did not require safe wastewater treatment.
• Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) adopts a more holistic approach than previous targets by addressing the entire water cycle, including wastewater treatment, water-use efficiency, and the protection of water-related ecosystems.
• Environmental degradation and climate change exacerbate water insecurity; deforestation increases sediment in water sources, and climate change increases water cycle variability and demand for water in energy and food production.
• Water risk is disproportionately borne by the poor, minorities, and women; for example, women and girls in low-income countries spend approximately 40 billion hours annually collecting water.
• Current progress is insufficient to meet the 2030 deadline for SDG 6, with UN-Water indicating that progress on some targets must increase by approximately four times.
• Improving water security requires a combination of human rights-based approaches, creative financing (such as impact bonds or environmental fees), and better governance to ensure accountability and combat corruption.

APA

Paul,, D. (2022). The Water and Sanitation Challenge. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/water-and-sanitation-challenge

Chicago

Paul,, Delia. The Water and Sanitation Challenge. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/water-and-sanitation-challenge.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Paul, |first1=Delia |title=The Water and Sanitation Challenge |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=22 March 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/water-and-sanitation-challenge |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{paul2022water, author = {Paul,, Delia}, title = {{The Water and Sanitation Challenge}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/water-and-sanitation-challenge}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }