Water woes: the institutional challenges in achieving SDG 6 - Sustainable Earth Reviews

Background: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 envisions a future where everyone has access to clean water and sanitation. Yet, as 2030 looms closer, the complexity of achieving this target becomes apparent, with issues far surpassing basic water infrastructure and utility challenges. The underlying problems lie in broader spheres such as governance, policymaking, and financing.

Main body: The global landscape of water management is marked by complexities that transcend the operational troubles of water utilities. Financial sustainability is a monumental task. And while it is true that water utilities struggle with revenue generation, the broader picture reveals systemic challenges. The true cost of water provision often extends to ecosystem services such as watershed protection. Often, these services are not internalized in the revenue models of utilities but are typically subsidized by governments or simply not considered. Balancing affordability for users with cost recovery for service providers, however, is not just an arithmetic exercise. It is also a question of equitable policies. Non-revenue water (NRW), resulting from physical losses such as leaks, theft, and inaccurate [or lack of] metering, exacerbates existing financial strain. Annual NRW losses are estimated at an astonishing 126 billion cubic meters, costing roughly USD 39 billion. But at the most fundamental level of achieving SDG 6 is misgovernance. Effective water governance demands consistent policies, coherent collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and comprehensive strategies that cater to specific regional contexts. Current models often suffer from fragmented policies, inadequate public-private partnerships, and weak engagement mechanisms. A glaring gap exists between academic advancements in water management and their practical implementation in policymaking. Moreover, international cooperation, while vital, reveals an unequal landscape in knowledge exchange. Knowledge transfer is often skewed, favoring dominant nations while sidelining voices from the Global South. This emphasizes the need for an inclusive, equitable, and context-specific global cooperation model.

Conclusion: The road to realizing SDG 6 is multifaceted, and while on-the-ground solutions are essential, the real success lies in addressing the foundational challenges. This requires innovative financial solutions, reimagining water governance structures, and ensuring all voices, especially from the Global South, are heard and integrated into global policies. As 2030 nears, it is the synergy of governance, finance, and technology that will ultimately make clean water and sanitation a reality for all.

By Jaivime Evaristo, Yusuf Jameel, Cecilia Tortajada, Raymond Yu Wang, James Horne, Howard Neukrug, Carlos Primo David, Angela Maria Fasnacht, Alan D. Ziegler and Asit Biswas, 2023. Article published in Sustainable Earth Reviews , Volume 6, Number 13, pages 1-9. DOI: 10.1186/s42055-023-00067-2

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Taxonomy

• Sustainable Development
• Water Supply
• Water Management
• Infrastructure

3 Comments

1. Interesting read.

2. This article seems to focus on urban water supply and piped systems. However over 70% of the SDG6.1 target group lives in rural areas where piped systems are (more) expensive or just not possible. A solution there can be the use of SMARTechs, being innovative market-based technologies that can be produced locally. Examples are manual drilling of tube wells, locally produced hand or solar pumps, Groundwater tube recharge, underground storage tanks and household waterfilters etc. With a combination of these options "Basic service" is possible in areas with > 200mm rain/year at an investment cost of $25/ person. 

3. Dear Dr. Cecilia Tortajada & team working for UN SDG # 6, AHD is not for profit and working on UN SDG # 6 and get to done in different villages and even 355,000 families and some 3.6 million have access to safe and clean drinking water, AHD looking your inputs and help different poor and vulnerable groups in Asia or Africa and help them to get skills and equip them with trainings that they get access to safe and clean drinking water for LIFETIME and achieve UN SDG # 6 in their life and enjoy LONG TERM and lifetime solution, hope you get in touch to help further communities. please see this filter video: Nadi filter preparation method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBvclfeW_NA