SDG 6 Explained

The SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are key to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all United Nations Member States at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. This is a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

We, Aqualibrium, will mostly focus on Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation to alleviate the water scarcity problem in India, hopefully causing knock-on effects onto the other SDGs such as Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being.

The fundamental water problem: Scarcity

By 2030, a 40% water shortfall in freshwater resources coupled with a rising world population has the world careening to a global water crisis. This dire situation is recognised by most, therefore on 22 March 2018, the UN general assembly launched the Water Action Decade to mobilise action that will help transform how we manage water. The World Economic Forum ranks the water crisis in the top 3 of global risks for the third consecutive year. This issue is at forefront of the agenda and much action is needed to mitigate the risks of water related disasters, pollution, and scarcity.

Why is there still water scarcity when around 71% of the Earth is water? Well, almost all the water (96.5%) is salt water, with the remaining 3.5% being fresh water. Within this 3.5%, 68.7% of water is trapped in ice and glaciers, and 30% is stored as groundwater, which is not accessible for us to consume. This leaves us with about 1.2% to be used as drinking water, which counts as approximately 0.5% of all Earth’s water. There is actually not as much water than we think there is available for us.

The human population has quadrupled over the century. This rapid growth—with its accompanying economic development and industrialisation—has transformed water ecosystems around the world and resulted in a massive loss of biodiversity. Today, 41% of the world’s population lives in river basins that are under water stress. Concern about water availability grows as freshwater use continues at unsustainable levels amid climate change. Furthermore, these new faces also need food, shelter, and clothing, thus resulting in additional pressure on freshwater through the production of commodities and energy. Water is vital to us, comprising about 60% of our body. The hike in population and overexploitation depletes groundwater at an alarming rate.

On the other hand, agriculture uses 70% of the world’s accessible freshwater, but some 60% of this is wasted due to leaky irrigation systems, inefficient application methods as well as the cultivation of crops that are too thirsty for the environment in which they are grown. This wasteful use of water is drying out rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers. Many countries that produce large amounts of food—including India, China, Australia, Spain, and the United States—have reached or are close to reaching their water resource limits.

When water becomes scarce, natural landscapes often lose out. Subsidence happens, leaving these distinctive coastal landforms high and dry. The Dead Sea is shrinking around 3 feet a year, leaving the remaining water with higher salinity where less water can dilute it. A lot of dangerous sinkholes are created due to the consistently retracting sea, resulting in an abandoned tourist resort with the landscape being no longer what it was used to be.

Technology must be improved in order to deal with this ongoing problem of water scarcity. Innovation of locating new water sources, increasing water efficiency as well as improving water accessibility infrastructure is strongly encouraged to support the WASH initiative. Globally, governments and organisations around the world will have to work together to develop and enact better policies and regulations to ensure water protection for the people. Individually, we should use less water by changing our daily habit of taking faster showers, not buying denim clothing and not keep the tap running all the time.

Luxury for the people: Clean Water

Due to industrialisation of many places, water pollution has become an alarming issue for families especially in rural areas. Although water pollution levels have generally improved compared to 50 years ago, the work is yet to be done. The pollution comes from many sources, including pesticides and fertilisers that are washed away from farms, untreated human wastewater, and industrial waste. Even groundwater is not safe from pollution, as

many pollutants can leach into underground aquifers. Some effects are immediate, as when harmful bacteria from human waste contaminate water and make it unfit to drink or swim in. In other instances — such as toxic substances from industrial processes — it may take years to build up in the environment and food chain before their effects are fully recognized. It will be too late when we realise its consequences as it will be killing us slowly, affecting both humans and other species. This process cannot be reversed by then.

The lack of accessibility to clean and filtered water harms people’s health, having a high bacterial activity. This could cause diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, and typhoid. Severe health risks including cancer, altered brain function and cardiovascular and kidney problems will also arise if too much toxic water is ingested. Intake of microplastics from drinking contaminated water or eating seafood can be built up in our body, causing various health complications. A recent Dutch study has shown that microplastics are found in human blood for the first time and this may bring long lasting effects to the human population.

We should cherish water resources and prevent water pollution from happening rather than fixing the issues afterwards when it is too late. Just as what Simon Sinek says, “Dream big, start small, but most of all, start” Let’s all start from ourselves today.

Sources:

https://sdgs.un.org/goals https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity#:~:text=When%20waters%20run%20dry%2C%20people,and%20other%20water%2Dborne%20illnesses