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SDG6 – Clean Water and Sanitation

New Vocabulary

  • Critical
  • Decline
  • Drought
  • Ecosystem
  • Efficient
  • Ensure
  • Hygiene
  • Monitor
  • Net increase
  • Quality
  • Reservoir
  • Restricted
  • Sanitation
  • Scarce
  • Severe
  • Wetland

Practice the new vocabulary

Clean Water and Sanitation Vocabulary (text version)

Match the words to their definitions.

Words:

  • Drought
  • Restricted
  • Quality
  • Severe
  • Net increase
  • Sanitation
  • Decline
  • Ensure
  • Hygiene
  • Monitor
  • Critical
  • Reservoir
  • Ecosystem
  • Efficient
  • Wetland
  • Scarce

Definitions:

  1. extremely important because a future situation will be affected by it
  2. to become smaller, fewer, weaker, etc.
  3. a long period of time when there is little or no rain
  4. all the plants and living creatures in a particular area considered in relation to their physical environment
  5. doing something in a good, careful and complete way with no waste of time, money or energy
  6. to make sure that something happens or is definite
  7. the practice of keeping yourself and your living and working areas clean in order to prevent illness and disease
  8. to watch and check something over a period of time in order to see how it develops, so that you can make any necessary changes
  9. the final amount after adding increases and decreases of something (i.e. rainfall)
  10. how good or bad something is
  11. a natural or artificial lake where water is stored before it is taken by pipes to houses, etc.
  12. limited or small in size or amount
  13. the equipment and systems that keep places clean, especially by removing human waste
  14. when there is not enough of something, or it is only available in small quantities
  15. very bad or serious
  16. areas of land that are naturally wet

Check your answer in footnote[1]

Activity source: Clean Water and Sanitation Vocabulary by Virginia McHardy, CC BY-NC 4.0

Activity source: Clean water and Sanitation Crossword by Donna Naylor, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Clean Water and Sanitation

 

According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (n.d.) Goal 6 Infographic:

The target to ensure safe drinking water and proper sanitation for everyone is critical to the health and well-being of all humans.

The Goal 6: Infographic from the UN tells us that billions of people still do not have safe drinking water, safely managed sanitation or even basic hand-washing facilities.

None of the SDG 6 targets are on track to be met by 2030. Only 22 countries in the world have reached a sustainable level for this goal. If we want to reach these goals, we have to move much faster to put them in place by 2030. We have to:

  • work six times faster to ensure safe drinking water
  • work five times faster to ensure safely managed sanitation, and
  • work three times faster to ensure basic hygiene standards can be met.

To add to this problem, 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries. This means that there is not enough water in the country for the needs of everyone. In other words, the amount of water that is needed is higher than the amount of water available during a certain period of time or when it is restricted because of low quality.

As of 2022, about half of the world’s population experienced severe water scarcity for at least part of the year, while one quarter faced ‘extremely high’ levels of water stress. Climate change worsens these issues.

In addition to the problems facing people, we are losing wildlife throughout the world. The Goal 6: Infographic tells us that 81% of species that rely on wetlands have declined since 1970.

It isn’t all bad news though. In all world regions, many rivers, lakes and aquifers are still in good condition – as of 2023, 56% of water bodies assessed in 120 countries have good water quality and water use efficiency has risen by 19%.

The world has experienced a net increase in permanent surface water between 2005 and 2022, much of which resulted from climate change and reservoir filling. While this global net gain is positive, it is important to recognize that the data also include losses of permanent water in some regions linked to droughts and increased water demands.

Canadian Perspective

Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation (text version)

Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Long-term drinking water advisories for public systems on Indigenous reserves

Almost half of long-term drinking water advisories[2] on public systems on Indigenous reserves south of the 60th parallel in 2021, while 7 advisories were added. At the end of 2021, 36 advisories remained in effect.

Note: Drinking water advisories are issued to warn people not to drink water that may be unsafe or is known to not be safe based on water quality test results. Drinking water advisories are considered to be long-term when they have been in place for more than one year.

Water usage in 2019

Total water usage totalled 4,866 million kilolitres, a 3% decrease since 2015. The residential sector accounted for half of total water usage. The daily residential use per capita was 215 litres, equivalent to almost 110 two-litre bottles.

The wealthiest 20% of Canadians spent almost five times more than the poorest 20% on water and sewage for their principal accommodation in 2019.

Average daily residential water use per capita, 2019

Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest per-capita residential water use.

Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1. The information is grouped by Geography (appearing as row headers), Litres (appearing as column headers).
Geography Litres
Newfoundland and Labrador 448
Prince Edward Island 181
Nova Scotia 170
New Brunswick 264
Quebec 262
Ontario 172
Manitoba 158
Saskatchewan 191
Alberta 176
British Columbia 274
Yukon 385
Northwest Territories 247
Nunavut 136
Water conservation practices of households in 2019
Table 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2. The information is grouped by Water conservation practice (appearing as row headers), Percentage of households (appearing as column headers).
Water conservation practice Percentage of households
Low-volume toilet 53%
Low-flow shower head 52%
Outdoor water barrel or cistern 14%
Community spotlight: Water First

Water First is a Canadian charitable organization that partners with Indigenous communities to address critical water challenges through education, training and meaningful collaboration with the aim of supporting independent local water management.

To date, Water First has collaborated with over 65 Indigenous communities across Canada. They completed 31,952 hours of training in 2021/2022 across all programs, which gave 1,220 school-aged students the opportunity to have hands-on STEM training. Its Drinking Water Internship Program is projected to train and certify 35 young Indigenous adults as water treatment plant operators by October 2022.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Biennial Drinking Water Plants Survey, 2019, Survey of Household Spending, 2019, Households and the Environment Survey, 2019; Indigenous Services Canada, Ending long-term drinking water advisories, 2022; Water First, Annual Report, 2022.

Source: Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation In Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Report, 2022 by Statistics Canada, used under Open License

Discussion Questions

Use the new vocabulary words in these discussion questions. Ask and answer in partners or small groups:

  1. Think about what it would be like to live in a place where water was scarce or restricted. What health problems could result?
  2. How could a severe drought affect the quality of the food available to us?
  3. How can you ensure good hygiene when travelling in another country?
  4. How can efficient monitoring of our own water use help other parts of the world?
  5. Have you ever been in a place that did not have a quality sanitation system? What was this like and how did you feel about it?
  6. Some areas see a critical decline in the amount of water stored in their reservoirs during hot, dry weather. What could people in these areas do to ensure a net increase in the length of time the water lasts?
  7. What do you think would happen to the world’s ecosystems if all of the wetlands dried up?

Watch the video

Watch Goal 6 – Clean water and sanitation (1.5 mins) on YouTube

Video source: UNStats. (2022, July 7). Goal 6 – Clean water and sanitation [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQo1V6tScc

Clean water and sanitation video quiz (text version)
    1. Fill in the blank: Ethiopia is experiencing a severe [Blank a] because of little rain.
    2. How much of the planet’s wetlands have been lost in the past 300 years?
      1. 50%
      2. 25%
      3. 85%
      4. 10%
  1. True or false? By 2030 almost 5 billion people will not have enough safe drinking water.
  2. Fill in the blank: In 2019 more than 733 million people live in countries with extremely high levels of [Blank a].
  3. True or false? Globally, over 3 billion people do not know how clean their water is because it is not monitored.

Check your answer in footnote[3]

Activity source: Clean water and sanitation video quiz by Virginia McHardy, CC BY-NC 4.0

What Can We Do in our Day-to-Day Lives?

Every one of us can do something to have a positive impact on this goal. Here are some suggestions:

Don’t overuse water:

  • Make sure to turn off the tap when washing dishes, or brushing your teeth.
  • Take short showers (bathtubs need gallons more water than a 5-10 minute shower).
  • Reduce the amount of water your toilet uses
  • Fill a mason jar with water and put it in the toilet tank away from the flushing mechanism. The tank will fill with less water each time.
  • If you are replacing a toilet, purchase a low flow toilet.
  • A leaking toilet can sometimes be difficult to hear or see, so place some food colouring in the toilet tank and see if it appears in the bowl without flushing.
  • Replace leaky taps or shower heads (or ask your landlord to do this).
  • Consider getting a water meter to be aware of your water usage.
  • Use a refillable water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
  • If you must water your garden or lawn, water only between 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. This is the best time to prevent evaporation of the water due to the sun and heat.

Re-use water:

  • Save the water from boiling pasta, vegetables, eggs, etc. to water your indoor or outdoor plants.

Make the most of the rain:

  • Leave an empty bucket or watering can outside to catch rainwater, and then use this to water your indoor or outdoor plants.
  • Install a rain barrel to catch rainwater from your downspouts (or ask your landlord to do this) and use this for watering outdoor plants or gardens.

Join a community clean-up project for rivers, lakes or oceans where you live or organize one of your own. Invite friends and family to help you, or even start a community project.

Run a campaign on hygiene. Raise awareness about the hygiene issues in your community through social media, school/university campaign or even a campaign in the neighborhood you live in.

When travelling, choose hotels or other lodging that is eco-friendly or participates in community projects such as donating opened soap to be sterilized and reformed for use by those in need.

Find a Goal 6 charity you want to support. Any donation, big or small, can make a difference!

 

Key Targets for SDG 6:

  • 6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
  • 6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
  • 6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
  • 6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
  • 6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.
  • 6.6 By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.
A person washes their hands with soap and water. Photo by Mélissa Jeanty, Unsplash license

Homework/Assignment

Track your water use for 7 days. Encourage others in your household to do the same. Use a chart to help track your water use. It can be helpful to have one chart in each major water-using area (bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, etc.) 

Then, analyze the information to answer these questions:

  • What is the biggest use of water for you?
  • How could you reduce the amount of water you use for this area?
  • Are there any ways that water is wasted in your home such as leaky taps, leaky toilets, automatic sprinklers that come on when it is raining, etc.?
  • If others in your home participated in tracking their water use, what additional information can you give about this?

You can read more about Goal #5 in The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 from the UN.:

For instructors, please visit York University’s The SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit for lesson ideas

Attribution & References

Except where otherwise noted, this page is created by Virginia McHardy, CC BY-NC 4.0

References

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Goal 6 [Infographic]. Sustainable Development Goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6

  1. 1. Critical, 2. Decline, 3. Drought, 4. Ecosystem, 5. Efficient, 6. Ensure, 7. Hygiene, 8. Monitor, 9. Net increase, 10. Quality, 11. Reservoir, 12. Restricted, 13. Sanitation, 14. Scarce, 15. Severe, 16. Wetland ↵
  2. Drinking water advisories are issued to warn people to not drink water that may be unsafe or is known to not be safe based on water quality test results. Long-term drinking water advisories are those that have been in place for more than 1 year. ↵
  3. 1. drought, 2. 85%, 3. False, 4. water stress, 5. True ↵
definition

License

DRAFT: SDGs for EAP Learners Copyright © by Donna Naylor and Virginia McHardy. All Rights Reserved.

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