In an effort to address the growing need for sustainable water and sanitation solutions in urban areas, GWOPA (Global Water Operators Partnership Alliance) hosted a side event at the 2nd UN-Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. The event, titled “Partnerships for Localising Multilateralism: Implications of the Water Action Agenda on Urban Development,” brought together key stakeholders to discuss the implementation of the Water Action Agenda and its impact on urban development. With increasing urbanisation and the challenges posed by climate change, the event aimed to foster collaboration and strengthen partnerships to ensure safe and affordable access to water and sanitation services. 

The Water Action Agenda, a result of the UN 2023 Water Conference, holds great significance in accelerating progress towards SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities). Access to essential services such as water and sanitation is crucial for achieving safe and affordable housing in urban areas. With urbanisation and climate change adding pressure on existing systems, it is estimated that the demand for water in cities will rise by 50-70% over the next three decades. Localising water and sanitation service delivery through multi-stakeholder partnerships reflects the spirit of multilateralism and presents opportunities for accelerated progress toward SDGs 6 and 11.1. 

The side event witnessed the participation of over 60 individuals, including prominent keynote speakers. The discussions revolved around the importance of collaboration across sectors and the need to strengthen partnerships at the local level. Key emphasis was placed on inclusivity and the availability of financial support to drive sustainable action on water-related issues. Several influential speakers highlighted the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration and inclusive decision-making processes.

Dr. Rose Kaggwa of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation emphasised the need for collaboration across sectors and boundaries, particularly by engaging the youth and allocating adequate budgets.

Ms. Dian Irawati from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Indonesia, stressed the significance of cross-sectoral action to engage all stakeholders, create innovative solutions, and mobilise effective action. Mr. Arnold Cole of UNICEF’s Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa highlighted the need to strengthen systems, institutions, and governance while emphasising the role of finance as an enabler to achieve SDG 6. 

Enhancing Partnerships through Water Action 

The event shed light on the crucial role played by GWOPA in enhancing partnerships at the local level. Ms. Zainab Mpakiraba, Principal Engineer at the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda, added that utilities are key actors in the implementation of sustainable solutions. GWOPA’s Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Congress has inspired utilities to take action by addressing their challenges and seeking support from each other. Ms. Rasa Ščeponavičiūtė, Deputy Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-HABITAT, European Union Delegation to the Republic of Kenya, further stressed the supportive role of GWOPA in providing water services in urban areas, highlighting the importance of UN coordination in this sector. 

The side event hosted by GWOPA at the 2nd UN-Habitat Assembly was an important platform for stakeholders to discuss and collaborate on improving urban development through the Water Action Agenda. The event highlighted the need for strong partnerships, inclusivity, and financial support to address the challenges posed by urbanisation and climate change. By localising water and sanitation service delivery and adopting a multi-stakeholder approach, progress can be accelerated towards achieving SDGs 6 and 11.1.

With GWOPA’s role in enhancing partnerships at the local level, and the commitment and dedication of all stakeholders, there is hope for sustainable water and sanitation solutions in urban areas. As we continue our work, it is crucial to be bolder in our actions, articulate our expectations, and establish robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure accountability. We look forward to sharing more solutions and insights at the upcoming IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition in Kigali, Rwanda on 10-14 December 2023. Registration is opening soon – find out more. 

There is hope for a better water future following the first UN Water Conference in almost 50 years. Thousands of participants, governments, representatives of the UN agencies and diverse stakeholders, including civil society and business leaders, young people, mayors, scientists and more, became united in a global call for action during the UN Water Conference in New York on 20-24 March 2023. 

The conference also brought together young people from across the world, and they literally got a seat at the negotiating table. Global youth rose to the occasion to ensure that their voices were heard. During the conference I had the pleasure to support the IWA-Grundfos Youth Action for SDG6 delegation which included 14 young water professionals advocating for a water-wise future. Many of them joined the conference as speakers, panellists, session organisers, delegates, and rapporteurs. It was a marathon for them.  

According to the Global Youth Movement for Water, around a quarter of the side events hosted at the UN headquarters had selected youth as one of their target audiences, while many of the events that took place both inside and outside of the UN premises were organised by or with youth-led organisations, including the five interactive dialogues and four special events which saw the involvement of youth-led organisations as speakers or rapporteurs. 

This level of engagement is unprecedented in high-level arenas, especially for a UN conference. At the same time, it is a realisation of the great mobilisation power that young people have and an official recognition that their participation is indeed needed to solve the significant challenges that our world is facing. It demonstrated that “water is and shall remain everyone’s business” as UN-Water Chair and Director General of the International Labour Organization Gilbert F. Houngbo affirmed. 

Although this meaningful youth engagement is strongly desired, it is not something that is easily achieved. Different perceptions are still in conflict, and one of the key challenges is finding a way to ensure that all voices are included in decision-making processes. This challenge is even more complex when we add climate change and all the other environmental issues that are causing uncertainty in our society. Managing all these instabilities requires collaboration and partnerships at local, regional, national, transboundary, and intergenerational scales. 

The Water Action Agenda, the key outcome of the Conference, seems to capture what is needed to achieve a sustainable and water-wise world. Of the 700 commitments that are included in the agenda, more than 400 include youth in its scope. Tajikistan, for instance, pledged to amplify the voices of youth in global processes, aiming to use the Dushanbe Water Process as a follow-up mechanism to the UN 2023 Water Conference. Grundfos, alongside 16 other private sector companies, shared commitments to invest more than $11 billion in innovation and youth engagement over the next five years.  

The bold commitments of the UN Member States also mobilise financial support for water action globally. For example, the EU committed to improve access to drinking water and/or sanitation by 2030 for 70 million people. The EU will also support its Member States with €20 million in funding to accelerate the deployment of wastewater surveillance for COVID-19. The Asian Development Bank pledged to invest $11 billion in the water sector in the Asia-Pacific Region and $100 billion in the water sector globally by 2030. 

The commitments bought together multilateral development banks, governments, non-governmental organisations, and international water and youth platforms. They create momentum that is much needed to accelerate progress and tackle the global water crisis. We know we are lagging behind. We know the obstacles. Now we have to make sure that the commitments can strengthen intergenerational partnerships, support meaningful youth engagement and ultimately deliver SDG 6 by 2030.  

In 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal 6 – the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030. This year’s World Water Day acts as a reminder for everyone to take action to secure progress on water and sanitation. This year’s theme of Accelerating Change emphasises the need to speed up efforts towards achieving sustainable water management practices. 

Water is a vital resource for life on earth, and its importance cannot be overemphasised. However, despite its critical role in sustaining life, access to safe and clean water remains a significant challenge for many communities worldwide with 1 in 4 people – 2.2 billion people without access to safely managed drinking water, while 4.2 billion go without safe sanitation services and 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities. Rapid urbanisation, climate change, and unsustainable water management practices have all contributed to the global water and sanitation crisis. 

To accelerate change and secure progress on water and sanitation, governments, organisations, and individuals must work together to promote sustainable water management practices. This includes investing in infrastructure and technologies that improve access to clean water, reducing water waste and pollution, and promoting water conservation and efficiency. To achieve this, the needs of women and girls, of the vulnerable, marginalised and rural communities must be taken into account in order to deliver access to clean water and safe sanitation. This can be addressed through innovative solutions such as community-led water projects and investment in sustainable water technologies. 

Another critical area that requires attention is the need to reduce water waste and pollution. Agriculture, industry, and households are major contributors to water pollution and waste. Efforts to reduce waste and pollution can be achieved through better water management practices, including wastewater treatment, sustainable agricultural practices, and the use of water-efficient technologies. 

Climate change is also a significant challenge that affects water resources. Extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and hurricanes have become more frequent and intense, resulting in water scarcity and reduced water quality. To accelerate change and address the impacts of climate change, governments and organisations must invest in climate-resilient water infrastructure and promote the use of renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Here’s how we can act and make a difference individually: 

1. Reduce water usage: You can reduce water consumption by taking shorter showers, fixing leaks, and using drought-resistant plants in your garden. 
2. Support water-saving initiatives: You can support water-saving initiatives in your community by volunteering, donating, or advocating for change. 
3. Educate others: Spread awareness about the importance of water and the water crisis by educating your family, friends, and community about the issue. 
4. Make sustainable choices: Make sustainable choices in your daily life by choosing products and services that have been produced with minimal water usage. 
5. Advocate for change: Advocate for change at the local, national, and international level by supporting policies and initiatives that promote sustainable water management practices.

By taking these simple steps, you can play your part in accelerating change and secure progress on water and sanitation.  But water and sanitation are complex sectors and thus also require good governance and cooperation. Here’s how governments can act and make a difference:  

1. Allocate adequate funding 
2. Involve and engage the public  in the planning, implementation, and management of water services 
3. Develop innovative policies and governance mechanisms based on climate resilient and inclusive WASH services 
4. Engage, support and incentivise private sector operators and other stakeholders to take bold and sustainable water action. 

IWA Resources

In addition to these steps, we urge water professionals, institutions, policymakers and wider stakeholders to consult our resources to secure a water wise future. The International Water Association actively promotes a comprehensive and integrated approach to managing water – one that envisages resilient and Water-Wise Cities. We invite you to learn more about our initiatives, particularly the IWA Principles for Water-Wise Cities, the Climate Smart Utilities initiative, and our Inclusive Urban Sanitation initiative – all providing practical inspiring case studies and high-impact stories on urban water and sanitation, and sustainable water management from all over the world. 

World Water Day 2023 and the UN Water Conference  

This World Water Day, IWA will co-host and participate in a wide range of events during the UN Water Conference in New York on 22-24 March 2023.  >> Here you can find the list of activities and events where the International Water Association will participate while at the UN Water Conference in New York on 22-24 March. We look forward to seeing you at one of our events! Together, we can accelerate change to secure progress on water and sanitation. 

The past 

Global water leaders are meeting in New York on 22-24 March 2023 after 46 long years since the first UN Water Conference held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1977. The conference report, also known as the Mar Del Plata Action Plan, identified the critical role that water resources play in improving human social and economic livelihood. The Plan also noted the need to implement specific and concerted actions for solutions at national, regional and global scale, without which a better quality of life and promotion of human dignity could not be assured. 

Following the conference, the first UN Water Decade from 1981–1990, also known as the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD), is estimated to have granted access to safe drinking water for over a billion people globally. However, many professionals were of the view that the IDWSSD failed to achieve its goals, mainly due to its broad approach. The issues were generalised and addressed without taking into account regional, national and community differences. For instance, the Action Plan was not based on a holistic approach and did not consider the role of local communities. It mainly focused on the contributions of national governments, which as a result gave governments the leverage to either choose to go by the Plan or not. Lastly, the Action Plan did not come with targets or timelines, which made the assessment of progress difficult.  

Conversely, the IDWSSD cannot be said to have been a total failure because it brought a much-needed spotlight on the importance of clean water and adequate sanitation for all. In that decade, the role of national governments in investing in the provision of clean water and adequate sanitation was highlighted; a role that was previously reserved mainly for regional and international development organisations. In that same decade, the idea of access to clean water and adequate sanitation being a human right was birthed, and the call was sustained through to 2010 when the UN resolved to formally recognise the human right to water and sanitation. Additionally, metrics for measuring progress in terms of water and sanitation access were initiated. Significant progress was recorded both in knowledge generation and practice. Several initiatives came into force with inspiration from the Mar del Plata Action Plan, including, but not limited to, the 1992 International Conference on Water and the Environment, the 2015 Millennium Development Goals Agenda that had a goal dedicated to water, the World Water Day initiative, and the 2016 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, which has a goal dedicated to water and sanitation, with associated clear targets. 

The present

Currently, efforts are being focused on the Sustainable Development Goal on water and sanitation (SDG 6). Progress on SDG6 is slow, undermining the human right to water and sanitation. Organisations have become increasingly aware of the silos that exist in the water and sanitation sector and are developing programmes to ensure cross-sectoral approaches in implementing solutions. The mapping of stakeholders has taken an inclusive approach over time with women, youth, marginalised groups, and users being consciously included in various levels of engagement spanning from decision-making, design, and implementation of solutions. Lots of innovations and initiatives, both at the global and local scale, are being churned out to solve the water and sanitation challenges. Examples are bio-digester toilets, capturing water from the atmosphere, performance improvement contracts, water safety plans, WASH incubator and accelerator programmes, digital water systems, open access to WASH publications, and more. This shows that there is a lot of effort being directed towards access to clean water and safe sanitation compared to the first water decade. Interestingly and progressively so, the WASH sector is holding itself to the highest standard and wants to make sure that the SDG 6 targets are met on time, hence the call for actionable commitments to be made in the midterm review of the water action decade. 

The future

After this midterm review of the water action decade, all the other sectors will be monitoring the WASH sector to see how progress is being accelerated so they can learn from best practices. To make sure the sector stays on track, I outline some ideas that can be explored. 

Implementation Drive

As mentioned above, there have been many useful innovations in the sector over time. To achieve significant progress, attention should be given to the implementation of numerous innovations. At this stage, adequate resources and policies need to be developed to create a conducive environment for the execution of projects that transfer these innovations and inventions from shelved prototypes to minimum viable products and beyond. This will ensure that the solutions are deployed at the local level. 

WASH–Employment Nexus

Currently, there are still high numbers of people who do not have access to clean water and safe sanitation, and there are multiple challenges related to water conservation due to climate change and human-related activities. On the other hand, unemployment is still one of the longstanding global challenges of the world that is threatening the national security of several countries. It is necessary to understand the volume and the kind of workforce needed to reach the SDG 6 targets by 2030. Once that is done, the next step will be to design academic, vocational, and technical programmes targeted at the unemployed population. Also, there is the need to approach the provision of water and sanitation services from a sustainable self-financing angle, which allows the services to pay for their maintenance and expansion. The WASH crisis provides the avenue for job creation and the employment crisis provides the workforce. What are currently missing are the right training, resources, and political will to harness the benefits of the WASH-employment nexus. If this is done successfully, a larger part of society will be working on specific sustainable initiatives improving access to WASH services for more people. 

Global Accountability System

Authorities responsible for the implementation of WASH policies, programmes, and projects need to be held accountable on their output and their goals and objectives. The current regime of individual states self-reporting on the SDGs does not work. National governments should be encouraged to set their own self-paced and characteristic objectives, but there must be an independent global system to monitor progress while taking into account national limitations and differences.  An independent accountability system can expose mismanagement of WASH-related resources and low levels of commitment and dedication by governments on the water action agenda. This accountability system could go a long way to help donor agencies and investors to know where to donate or invest for maximised societal and environmental impact. A good example is how the International Monetary Fund uses the debt to GDP ratio and other fiscal indicators to assess countries. I believe that there should be a similar system that will compel countries to prioritise universal access to clean water and safe sanitation.

Cover image: ©UNDESA. In the picture: Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and the Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water Conference; Mr. Henk Ovink, Special Envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for Water; and Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda, Special Envoy of the President of Tajikistan for Water.

Date: Wednesday, 22 March 2023​

Time: 11:00-12:15 EST (Eastern Standard Time)​

Location: UN Headquarters, Side Event Room B​

Registration: Event open only to UN Water Conference registered delegates​

Background

The 2022 Sustainable Development Goals Report exposed some very concerning data about the world’s progression towards SDG6, showing that meeting WASH targets by 2030 will require a fourfold increase in the pace of progress. Metrics about safely managed sanitation are particularly alarming, sending a clear message that current policies and practices are not working, and immediate action must be taken.

There is an urgent need for an accelerated and inclusive approach to expanding safe sanitation service coverage. Multiple technologies are available for achieving this – both sewered or onsite, centralised or decentralised. But mere technology choices do not ensure the end users will benefit as they should. Governments must lead by taking a wider perspective into consideration, including the governance mechanisms, the laws and regulations that clarify the mandate for safe and inclusive services, understanding how authorities and private sector operators can be organized and incentivized, and how individual contributions and needs must be aligned and supported to also ensure that environmental public health goals are being met.

Description of the session

The session on Cross-sectoral partnerships to accelerate progress towards inclusive sanitation will look beyond technology and the usual focus on building infrastructure and discuss how to adopt a holistic approach to create a conducive policy, legal, institutional, and regulatory environment that enables and incentivizes accelerated progress towards safe sanitation services for all. Further, the session will also discuss and highlight the role and importance of science, innovation and development in bridging and shortening this pathway will be highlighted and shared.

Representatives from the public, private, and social sectors will bring to the table their perspectives on how cross-sectoral and intergenerational partnerships can collaborate to support national governments in achieving SDG 6.2 through: (1) developing enforceable policies, laws, regulations, and guidelines that clearly define roles, responsibilities, accountability mechanisms, and resources for planning, execution, and management for inclusive services; (2) building strong institutional arrangements that address equity, safety and sustainability targets; and (3) establishing finance planning and management institutions that are designed to shield these policies and institutions from political and economic instability.

Format of the session

The session will be designed to allow maximum debate among panellists and the audience. Panellists will have a limited amount of time – 3 to 5 minutes each – to make igniting pitches. The remaining time will be used for Q&A and discussions involving the audience. The format of the debate will be defined considering the room layout (if possible, using the world café or fishbowl format, to ensure inclusivity). The final 10 minutes of the session will be used for wrap-up, announcement of IWA’s voluntary commitment to advocate for inclusive sanitation agenda, and presentation of the SanitAction campaign – IWA’s call for collaborative action to reshape the global agenda on urban sanitation over the coming years.

The outcomes of this session will be used by the participants of the Youth4SDG6 fellowship programme as input for a joint IWA/Grundfos publication on the critical need for youth engagement in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Key Partners

• Government of Brazil (National Water and Sanitation Agency) 
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), USA 
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Germany 
• Grundfos, Denmark 
• African Global Networks, South Africa 
• Water Youth Network, the Netherlands 
• International Secretariat for Water (SIE-ISW), Canada 

Panellists

• Kala Vairavamoorthy, International Water Association, United Kingdom
• Filipe Sampaio, National Water and Sanitation Agency, Brazil
• Brian Arbogast, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
• Bisi Agberemi, United Nations Children’s Fund, USA
• Arne Panesar, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Germany
• Virginia Newton-Lewis, Grundfos, Denmark
• Jennifer Molwantwa, Water Research Commission, South Africa
• Maitreyi Koduganti, Water Youth Network, the Netherlands
• Vladimir Arana, International Secretariat for Water, Canada
• Kelvin Chitumbo, Eastern and Southern Africa Water and Sanitation (ESAWAS) Regulators Association, Zambia

COP 27 closing plenary in the early morning of Sunday 20 November 2022, after two intense weeks of negotiations and almost two days of extension

“But then, if you are a water professional, what are you doing here at this climate change conference?” a delegate asked me in the early hours of Sunday 20 November 2022, on the eve of the eagerly awaited closing plenary of the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. “It is precisely that question that motivates me to participate also in this, my fifth consecutive COP” was my courteous and collegial answer to this question, “to contribute to raising awareness of the key strategic importance of water in the climate change issue”, I added.

Greenhouse gases in the spotlight

Indeed, it is the greenhouse gases emitted by mankind in ever-increasing quantities that accelerate global warming leading to climate change with ever less favourable effects. And, therefore, the efforts of the 198 parties that ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are focused on reducing and/or capturing emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane, to slow down and limit the increase in global temperature they produce, and to minimise their adverse effects.

And water?

In our daily lives, how much do we notice the increase of carbon dioxide and methane in our atmosphere? We can neither see or smell these gases. But as an effect of the global warming that these gases produce, we do notice the excess or scarcity of water through more and more frequent extreme weather events. Droughts in Nigeria and the Peruvian Andes, heat waves and droughts in Europe with historically low river levels, even in Germany and Italy, flash flooding in several places, large-scale flooding in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia and California in the US, are just some of the omnipresent recent cases. And they can cost lives, cause huge economic losses for rich and poor alike, and can quickly destroy decades of efforts.

Getting closer to the dialogue on the importance of water, also for vulnerable populations

All indicates that the climate seems to be changing faster than expected. So much that some scientists believe that it will no longer be possible to completely reverse the ongoing process of climate change. This means that it is no longer sufficient to focus on greenhouse gases alone. We have to prepare ourselves now to face the adverse effects of climate change, which we are noticing especially through water excess or scarcity, in a global environment of growing populations and increasing demand for water in the right quantity and quality. If this is so, then water management is key.

No progress made at this COP?

Yes, progress have been made. Considering the current geopolitical environment affected by the armed conflict in Eastern Europe, the post-pandemic difficulties, and the attempts of the hydrocarbon industry to dilute the process that threatens its “raison d’être”, this COP can even be considered a success. Not only the multilateral efforts continue. The commitment to limit the global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level was reaffirmed. For the first time the issue of “loss and damage” was put on the agenda of negotiations. As a result, the creation of a “loss and damage” fund for vulnerable countries was agreed, and the final declaration adopted by consensus among the parties mentions water for the first time within the adaptation targets for 2030.

View from my seat during the closing plenary, COP 27 president speaking, on the table one of the water packs made available to delegates during COP 27

And the role of water professionals?

All point to the need for sustainable integrated solutions at basin level, balancing water offer and demand, and anticipating weather extremes of higher frequency and intensity. So, what should be the role of water professionals in negotiations and in mitigation and adaptation efforts? I would argue that they should play an increasingly strategic role. Agreed?

On World Toilet Day, the international community will assess its progress on providing sanitation to all.

Unfortunately, while we’ve made significant advancements, we are not on track to provide universal access to safely-managed sanitation by the UN’s target year of 2030.

Today, nearly half of the world’s population uses sanitation services that leave human waste untreated.  Meanwhile, 673 million people still practice open defecation and an estimated 367 million children attend a school with no sanitation facility at all. Poor sanitation devastates public health, as well as the environment and social and economic development.

Inequalities persist: for women and girls who are unable to meet their menstrual health needs, with additional burdens placed on people with disabilities and refugees; for people living in rural areas and in informal settlements, where distance and political ambivalence prevent the delivery of safe and affordable sanitation; for people living downstream from dysfunctional treatment plants, among other inequalities due to disability, religion or other discriminatory practices.

Achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – clean water and sanitation for all – requires more funding, and critically, more political engagement. With our partners in the lead, the UN-hosted Sanitation and Water for All global partnership (SWA) has identified a group of people who could be playing a more active role in the promotion of sanitation as an important part of the development process. Parliamentarians have the legislative power and budgetary oversight to turn policy into practice, to improve sanitation services for all, particularly for those who currently have no or only basic access.

Parliamentarians can use their roles of representation, legislating, oversight, and budget scrutiny to address the bottlenecks hindering both the implementation of the SDGs and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation in their countries.

Enshrining this right in national legislation and policy can be an effective first step, with a country’s constitution providing the strongest general guarantee of human rights within national legal frameworks.

Additionally, a country’s national legislative framework for water, sanitation and hygiene should be examined to ensure it complies with human rights standards – ensuring services are available to all, especially to vulnerable or marginalized individuals and groups. Legislation that includes human rights also provides legal obligations for oversight and monitoring of implementation and compliance, which can be a powerful tool to increase transparency, identify clear responsibilities and boost accountability.

Parliamentarians can also influence budgets and can raise the profile of sanitation by demanding the inclusion of sanitation in all aspects of resource allocation from budget formulation and allocation, to approval, execution and review.

Civil society organisations and people who suffer from inadequate sanitation can work with researchers, scientists and other practitioners, engaging with parliamentarians to challenge the taboo and stigma of sanitation. Moreover, they can raise their voices through public hearings and inquiries conducted by parliamentarians, providing essential testimony to the challenges of lacking sanitation, and the benefits that sanitation brings to people lives through improved health, access to work and education. They can also work with networks and coalitions which may have long-established connections with parliamentarians.

Finally, there are international review processes that parliamentarians can join, such as the UN’s Voluntary National Reviews, which monitor progress on the SDGs, and the Universal Periodic Reviews, which assess the fulfilment of human rights obligations. SWA’s Mutual Accountability Mechanism also provides a multi-stakeholder platform that encourages commitments from all relevant actors to improve access to sanitation. SWA’s tools portal provides helpful resources for engaging parliamentarians. Moreover, parliamentarians and other stakeholders can learn more about improving legislation on water and sanitation through SWA’s dedicated parliamentarian handbook.

Parliamentarians are increasing their understanding of and their commitment to sanitation in a growing number of countries, working at the highest levels of government. But it’s not yet enough. As we celebrate World Toilet Day, let’s ask our parliamentarians to put our sanitation goals back on track.

IWA has launched an Inclusive Urban Sanitation initiative.  The initiative aims to reshape the global agenda on urban sanitation and is being promoted through a dedicated campaign – SanitAction – to gather the support and collaborative action needed to secure progress. Engage with us and join the conversation online using #SanitAction.

The world faces a global sanitation crisis as nearly 4.2 billion people, or more than half of the global population, are still living without access to safely managed sanitation services, which include both sewered and non-sewered/on-site sanitation systems (OSSs). The world is urbanising rapidly: more than half of the global population currently resides in cities and towns. In Africa, particularly, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) – considered the world’s fastest urbanising region – the global share of African urban dwellers is projected to grow from 11.3% in 2010 to 20.2% by 2050. Unfortunately, rapidly urbanising cities and towns in low- and middle-income countries are drastically falling behind in the goal of universal safely managed sanitation services.

Indicator 6.2.1 (a) of the Sustainable Development Goals underscores the importance of “safely managed sanitation services” including faecal sludge management, focusing on the entire sanitation service chain, entailing containment; emptying and transport; treatment; and disposal/re-use. This is just one target out of the six under SDG 6, which are all interlinked and need to be addressed holistically as highlighted in the UN-Water analytical brief. For example, increased access to safely managed sanitation [target 6.2] must be matched by increased wastewater and faecal sludge treatment [target 6.3] if good ambient water quality [target 6.3] and healthy water-related ecosystems [target 6.6] are to be sustained. Thus, when we talk of water resources, what comes to mind and is usually given more attention is the “visible” water resources, while groundwater, an “invisible” resource, is often overlooked.

Source: totabc.org/sdg/clean-water-sanitation

Groundwater is – and will always be – an important resource for sustaining ecosystems. In SSA, over 70% of the population relies on groundwater for domestic use, where about the same population is served by unimproved OSSs, the majority of which are in informal settlements and urban poor households. In Kampala city, less than 10% of the population has access to sewerage services while over 90% are reliant on on-site sanitation systems (OSS).  In informal settlements and low-income areas (hosting 60% of the urban population in Kampala city), the most common drinking water source is groundwater from on-site water supply systems such as shallow wells and protected springs. The percentage of drinking water produced from these sources is higher (greater than 25%) compared to high and medium-income areas. In these areas, pit latrines are the predominant OSS systems and are mostly unimproved with varying quality and standards.

View of Kampala City, Uganda

Questions that remain to be answered are:  What happens when the pit is full? What happens when there are either no toilet facilities or the existing ones are of poor quality? What happens after the toilet is flushed?

The fact of the matter is that faecal sludge generated from the majority of the OSSs is usually unsafely managed, i.e., uncontained, unemptied, and indiscriminately disposed of. Similarly, wastewater is not safely managed due to blockages and overflows in the sewer network, and improper treatment. This results in significant public health risks and pollution of the environment, including contamination of groundwater sources and ecosystems. These challenges are more pronounced in informal settlements and low-income areas, often characterised by high population densities, high housing density, high water table, and prevalence of unimproved sanitation facilities.  The risks for groundwater pollution are significantly higher in informal settlements and low-income areas which are often located in valleys with high groundwater tables (less than 5m) and less than 10m radial distance of sanitation facilities to groundwater sources, as opposed to medium- and high-income areas. Faecal contamination is the most prevalent groundwater contamination hazard due to inadequate, unsafe, and poor-quality sanitary facilities. As is frequently stated, “what doesn’t get measured, definitely doesn’t get managed”.

This must be a wake-up call to water and sanitation sector actors to institute effective regulation, data management, and monitoring mechanisms of service provision, holistically addressing all targets of SDG 6.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), a government agency in charge of managing the city, including waste and sanitation services, has in the recent past made efforts to institute clear and effective regulations to enhance the City-wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach to tackle the sanitation service delivery challenges in the city. Given the public health risks and ecosystem pollution associated with poor management of wastewater and faecal sludge, the city authority has instituted the Kampala Capital City Authority (Sewage and Faecal Sludge Management) Ordinance, a regulatory instrument, complemented by minimum standards for onsite sanitation technology options, which offers guidance to inform planning, construction and enforcement of sanitation service provision in Kampala city. These are incremental but significant steps that the city authority has undertaken, among other efforts, to realise the ultimate goal of availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Lessons learned from the International Water Association (IWA) Regulating for City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation initiative emphasise that sanitation – and its administration and delivery – is closely linked to water supply, as well as to solid waste management, drainage, land use planning, and housing development. IWA has recently launched a new initiative on Inclusive Urban Sanitation to further amplify and re-shape this agenda on a global scale.

It is, thus, undoubtedly clear that the increased risk of groundwater contamination is a significant hindrance to meeting SDG 6. This calls for an improved understanding of the status and risks posed by on-site water and sanitation systems, especially in informal settlements and low-income areas. Routine groundwater contamination risk assessment is key to preventing this. Stakeholders at all levels need to adopt more than a “business as usual” approach to accelerate progress as stipulated in the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework.  The UN-Water Summit on Groundwater happening in December 2022 aims to bring attention to and amplify the groundwater agenda at the highest international level, noting that “groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind”.

As we mark this year’s World Toilet Day, it is imperative to recognise the interdependency of the targets under SDG 6 from a holistic point of view, and most importantly, highlight the link between groundwater and sanitation: making the invisible, visible!