Clean Water and Sanitation: The Building Blocks for Sustainable Development

Clean Water and Sanitation: The Building Blocks for Sustainable Development

01 March 2023

Water… something that many of us take for granted, but we could not live without. Globally, 2 billion people do not have access to clean water at home and 3.6 billion do not have access to safely managed sanitation at home. Water scarcity rates are highest in developing countries and in rural areas, and 700 million people around the world could be displaced by 2030 due to water scarcity. Having access to clean water and sanitation is one of the main building blocks for sustainable development since it is vital for both the environment and human life. 

Photo: Annie Spratt

Drainage and land conversion have meant that more than 85% of wetlands across the world have been lost over the past 300 years. This has caused the decline of wetland dependent species, many of which face extinction. Moreover, wildlife such as fish and invertebrates are killed when water becomes polluted from sewage and agricultural chemicals. These impacts therefore have an effect on SDG 15: life on land. 

On a human level, water and sanitation are vital for SDG 3: good health and wellbeing, since 10% of the global disease burden could be reduced by access to clean water and sanitation. One reason for this is that lack of toilets can lead to open defecation, which can cause germs to spread to water sources that are used for drinking and cooking. Young children are particularly vulnerable, with an estimated 446,000 children less than 5 years old dying annually from diarrhoea.  

Furthermore, water and sanitation link to SDG 5: gender equality, because in developing countries women and girls are frequently tasked with collecting water, and this often requires a lot of time to walk to water sources. This can also impact education (SDG 4) due to water collection responsibilities causing absence from school. Additionally, due to menstruation, girls' education is disproportionately affected because insufficient toilet facilities can cause them to miss school, for example in 2018 and 2019 between 15% and 25% of girls in West Africa missed school due to menstruation. Having clean water and sanitation is therefore also important for poverty reduction efforts (SDG 1), since education and time spent collecting water are important factors in livelihood choices, especially for women. 

What can you do?

Businesses can consider their water efficiency within the workplace. Globally, water efficiency has increased by 12% from 2015 – 2019. Increasing water efficiency can also reduce costs of excess water use. One way to do this is through replacing normal taps for spray taps which reduces the amount of water without affecting the water pressure. Similarly you could install low flow toilets or adjust current toilets to be more efficient. You can also consider harvesting rainwater which can be used for toilet flushing and washing machines by installing a connection pipe. 

If your business produces physical products then you can examine whether there is a more water efficient way to do so. Some products require a surprisingly high amount of water, for example blue jeans use 1,800 gallons and shoes use 2,257 gallons in their production. However, companies do not have to produce or use water themselves to make a difference. For example, investment firms and financial sponsors can have an influence over water use by investing in water efficient projects and putting pressure on organisations who use excessive water. 

Businesses also have an effect on water systems via pollution and waste that is released. Some businesses that deal with hazardous chemicals and materials should secure this hazardous waste separately and securely and use authorised waste carriers to dispose of it. 

Additionally, businesses can put pressure on their suppliers to provide access to clean water and toilets in their factories. By improving sanitation facilities in supply chains, it can even bring financial benefits of factory workers improving their work attendance, since the equivalent of $4 billion in working days are gained when people have access to sanitized water, due to the health benefits that it provides.  

Whichever industry your business operates in, there are often small ways that you can help with water waste reduction, water quality improvement, and possibly even helping to provide water and sanitation facilities to others. It is predicted that in the future, water scarcity issues will become more prominent due to factors such as global population growth, increased urbanisation and worsening climate change. It is therefore vital that water and sanitation are on your company's radar.