Compiled by: Sahar Yaghoubi
One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed upon by all 193 UN Member States in 2015 is to ensure that everyone on the earth has access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.
Water security is being compromised and supplies are being disrupted as a result of the increased frequency and severity of droughts and floods brought on by climate change.
It is becoming more difficult for cities to provide water to the millions of people who live in informal settlements and slums as a result of the rapid urbanization that has been taking place in recent decades.
The majority of those whose lives have been spared are youngsters, and this is mostly due to the increased availability of clean water. “Climate change is eroding those gains,” said Dr. Maria Neira, who heads the World Health Organization’s division on the environment, climate change, and human health.
Safe drinking water is a human right, not a luxury, thus “we must expedite our efforts” to provide it worldwide.
Definitely worth the price.
To better finance safer systems and increase the ability to plan, coordinate, and control service supply, the report includes concrete suggestions for governments and partners to implement.
Included are examples of how nations are helping to achieve the SDG aim of providing access to clean drinking water for everyone by 2030.
For the sake of people’s well-being, the economy, and the planet, investing in water and sanitation is a must. According to World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice Director Saroj Kumar Jha, “healthier children become healthier adults who subsequently contribute more to the economy and society.”
Protecting Children
The partners have asked governments and businesses to treble their investment in safe drinking water and raise their political commitment to the issue.
Aidan Cronin, UNICEF Interim Director of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Climate, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Risk Reduction, said, “No child should be faced with the choice of drinking dirty water – a leading killer of children – or making dangerous journeys to collect water and miss out on school” (CEED).
If we want our kids to grow up healthy, educated, and successful, we must make sure they have access to and can depend on a steady supply of clean water.
