Prioritising water and sanitation for all is essential to reverse poverty

In 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The 17 SDGs call for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle income to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. With only ten years remaining to achieve these goals, countries are accelerating steps towards ending all forms of poverty, fighting inequalities, tackling climate change and ensuring that no one is left behind.  Every month, the United Nations places one of the 17 SDGs under the spotlight, highlighting its purpose, target, indicators and outlining its criticality in advancing Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. The focus is placed this month on access to clean water and sanitation for all, SDG 6.

According to the 2019 United Nations World Water Development Report, improved water resource management and access to safe water and sanitation for all is essential for eradicating poverty, building peaceful and prosperous societies and ensuring that no one is left behind on the path towards sustainable development.

Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in. Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is a human right and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet for all. Yet billions of people are still faced with daily challenges to access clean water and basic sanitation. The demand for water has outpaced the population growth, and half the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity at least one month a year.

3 in 10 people worldwide lack access to safely managed drinking water services. About 3 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services such as toilets or latrines. Millions of people, including children, die every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Worldwide, more than 2 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases. Poor hygiene and unsafe water are responsible for nearly 90 per cent of these deaths and mostly affect children. 1,000 children die every day due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrheal diseases. More than 80 per cent of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any treatment, leading to pollution.

Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. At the current time, more than 2 billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources and, by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. Drought afflicts some of the world’s poorest countries, worsening hunger and malnutrition.

According to the 2019 United Nations World Water Development Report, entitled Leaving No one Behind, water use has been increasing worldwide by about 1% per year since the 1980s, driven by a combination of population growth, socio-economic development and changing consumption patterns.

This means that stress levels will continue to increase, as the demand for water grows and the effects of climate change intensify.

Fortunately, there has been great progress made in the past decade regarding drinking sources and sanitation, whereby over 90% of the world’s population now has access to improved sources of drinking water. Between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of the global population using an improved drinking water source has increased from 76 per cent to 90 per cent

However, water scarcity affects more than 40 per cent of the global population and is projected to rise. To improve sanitation and access to drinking water, there needs to be increased investment in management of freshwater ecosystems and sanitation facilities on a local level in several developing countries.

Continued prioritisation of water and sanitation as a basic social service, especially to the most vulnerable, has the potential to reverse the scourge of poverty and contribute to national development.

As Eswatini has set a target of 100% access to water and sanitation, the country  continues to make progress towards achieving SGD 6 targets by 2030, including through  the setting up of an enabling environment. Water stressed populations are found mainly in rural communities where over 61% people have access to safe water supply and 46% have access to improved sanitation. In urban areas, 95% have access to water supply and 94% have access to sanitation.

As diarrhoea is one of the top 10 causes of under 5 mortality among children, together -authorities, communities, parents, schools, custodians, and partners alike – we shall ensure that every Emaswati has access to clean water, drinking water, as well as basic sanitation and hygiene, thereby resulting into a significant drop of diarrhoea and risk of diseases outbreaks.

The Government shall be lauded for its efforts to invest in water infrastructure. Indeed, the country has invested in bulk water transfers across river basins to bring safe water to water stressed and vulnerable communities. Sanitation subsidies and advocacy for community participation have seen the most vulnerable households access basic sanitation services, a key national deliverable in line with Eswatini National Development Strategy.  

Early this month, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy launched the National Water Policy, which will introduce water reforms to promote the development and the review of compliance frameworks that encourage the proper use of water in Eswatini. Key objectives of the policy include the promotion of integrated planning, the development and the management of water resources with a particular emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.

Access to clean water and sanitation is not only a basic need but a foundation for good health and economic development. A healthy and productive population is key to reducing work force down time, school absence and medical expenses due to diarrhoeal diseases. All these have a positive economic impact.

The United Nations Development System in Eswatini remains committed to working with the Government and stakeholders to ensure that key development aspects are pointedly addressed in water resources management and access to water supply and sanitation services. In 2016, during the El Nino drought, the United Nations Development System in Eswatini mobilised resources to ensure a coordinated response to maximise existing resources.

Among the eight United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes present in the country, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported the Government through capacity development for the rehabilitation and the management of wetlands to protect critical freshwater sources. Under the Climate Smart Agriculture project, a study was supported to enable Eswatini to optimize groundwater use in line with the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Framework and General Water Sector Reforms. UNDP also supported the improved management of water sources, including water shed protection for more efficient irrigation infrastructure. 

Within the UN family in Eswatini, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) rehabilitated and constructed water systems, including rainwater harvesting systems in over 80 schools during the El Nino episode.  UNICEF also supported the development of the Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy, which leveraged funding for development partners to assist the Government in developing the policy, in addition to supporting a Water Sanitation and Hygiene Financing study to identify possible funding sources towards achieving equitable access to Water Supply and Sanitation services.

For its part, the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO) supported the Government in submitting the country chapter in the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) Report 2018.  

In order to sustain the gains made and improve access to water and sanitation, coordination mechanisms shall be improved; locally available resources shall be used efficiently; research into the conjunctive use of groundwater and hygiene behaviour change shall be addressed; and partnerships shall be strengthened.

The economic impact of not investing in water and sanitation costs 4.3 per cent of sub-Saharan African GDP. Without better water infrastructure and management, there will be losses in lives, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, undermining prosperity and efforts towards a more sustainable future. Decision-makers, the private sector, civil society, communities, citizens, academia, labs, start-ups and partners shall join hands: no contribution to the advancement and the attainment of the SDGs in this decade of action and acceleration is too small.