Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Water Crisis
Water, the essence of life on earth, is a vital resource. Yet, a global water crisis continues to challenge people’s access to the quantity and quality needed for drinking, cooking, bathing, handwashing, and growing food. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations aim to address this crisis and ensure universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.
Facts about the Global Water Crisis
- 703 million people lack access to clean water. That’s 1 in 10 people on the planet.
- Women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours carrying water every day, walking 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) every day to haul 40 pounds of water.
- More than 1,000 children under 5 die every day from diseases caused by contaminated water, poor sanitation, and unsafe hygiene practices.
- 1.69 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation.
- 419 million people practice open defecation.
The Benefits of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
An investment in clean water, combined with adequate sanitation and hygiene behavior change, is one of the most effective ways to improve people’s lives and tackle extreme poverty. The benefits include:
- Families becoming healthier: Water, sanitation, and hygiene programs work together to powerfully prevent the spread of most illnesses and are one of the most effective ways to reduce child mortality rates.
- Children getting better nourishment: Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene help kids grow taller, stronger, and healthier. They get more nutrition from their food because they’re not sick. Families can use water to irrigate their gardens to grow more nutritious food year-round.
- Children attending and succeeding in school: When children don’t have to walk long distances to get water, they have more time to attend school and more energy to learn. This is especially important for girls, who most often spend their days collecting water for their families instead of focusing on school.
- Family income improving: Families can spend less money on healthcare and are better able to pay for things like school supplies and fees. Clean water is also used for income-generating activities like making soap and shea butter, as well as watering livestock and gardens.
Why Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene are Interconnected
Beyond clean water, maintaining proper hygiene behavior and sanitation is crucial for overall health. When we support families with hygiene behavior change and sanitation facilities, such as latrines and handwashing stations, it not only enhances the health benefits of clean water but helps prevent the spread of illnesses and diseases. Even simple actions like handwashing can contribute to children growing taller, stronger, and healthier. So intertwined are water, sanitation, and hygiene that they have been combined into one sector known in the global aid community as WASH.
Challenges of Digging Wells and Providing Clean Water Sources
While some people dig their own shallow wells for groundwater, these open and unprotected wells are often contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and parasites, failing to provide clean water. World Vision provides protected and permanent water sources using technologies best suited to each context where we work. Water taps are commonly built from piped-water systems, connecting clean sources like drilled boreholes or protected springs to a distribution network. For drilled wells, a borehole area with a cement slab prevents contamination during rainfall. Water undergoes rigorous testing before community access. Communities are trained to maintain cleanliness around water points and manage systems for continuous water flow. This effort ensures that the community has a lasting and reliable water source.
Impact of the Global Water Crisis on Women and Girls
Women and girls bear the greatest burden of the global water crisis because they’re most likely to be responsible for hauling water to their homes in the developing world. Daily water collection takes up a significant amount of their time and energy, preventing them from pursuing education and income-generating activities. Lack of clean water and sanitation facilities also affects menstrual health, maternal and newborn health, and overall well-being. World Vision is working to address these challenges by providing clean water access, latrines, and handwashing facilities in healthcare facilities to ensure safer deliveries and improved health outcomes for women and girls.
World Vision’s Water Work and Goals
World Vision is the leading nongovernmental provider of clean water in the developing world. Our goal is to ensure vulnerable people, including those with disabilities, in disease-burdened rural areas have access to clean water, improved sanitation, and hygiene. We have reached millions of people with clean water access, sanitation facilities, and hygiene behavior change programs. Our long-term commitment involves drilling and rehabilitating wells, developing piped-water systems, building latrines and handwashing facilities, and promoting healthy hygiene practices. By partnering with local communities, governments, and other organizations, we aim to achieve the SDGs and provide universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.
How You Can Help
You can make a difference in ending the global water crisis by:
- Praying for people in vulnerable communities in need of clean water.
- Donating to organizations like World Vision to help equip children and families with lasting access to clean water.
- Participating in events like World Vision’s Global 6K for Water® to raise awareness and funds for clean water access.
Together, we can ensure that everyone has access to clean water and sanitation, improving health, education, and overall well-being for communities around the world.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all | – Indicator 6.1.1: Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services – Indicator 6.1.2: Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services |
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases | – Indicator 3.3.1: Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age, and key populations – Indicator 3.3.2: Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population – Indicator 3.3.5: Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases |
| SDG 4: Quality Education | 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes | – Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex |
| SDG 1: No Poverty | 1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day | – Indicator 1.1.1: Proportion of population below the international poverty line, by sex, age, employment status, and geographical location |
Analysis
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are:
– SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
– SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
– SDG 4: Quality Education
– SDG 1: No Poverty
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under the identified SDGs are:
– Target 6.1: Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
– Target 3.3: End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases
– Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
– Target 1.1: Eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators include:
– Indicator 6.1.1: Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
– Indicator 6.1.2: Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services
– Indicator 3.3.1: Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age, and key populations
– Indicator 3.3.2: Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population
– Indicator 3.3.5: Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases
– Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
– Indicator 1.1.1: Proportion of population below the international poverty line, by sex, age, employment status, and geographical location
These indicators can be used to measure progress towards achieving the targets under the respective SDGs.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all | – Indicator 6.1.1: Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services – Indicator 6.1.2: Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services |
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases | – Indicator 3.3.1: Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age, and key populations – Indicator 3.3.2: Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population – Indicator 3.3.5: Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases |
| SDG 4: Quality Education | 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes | – Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex |
| SDG
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