Leaving No One Behind-Promise or Pledge?

By FGR Bureau

“The World Water Day 2019, observed on 22 March 2019, throughout the world, had the theme of “leaving no one behind”, which ‘is the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. When one talks of “water for all”, that also implies leaving no one behind”.

This theme envisages a crystal-clear message that everyone must participate and benefit from the progress of development. In other words, it means achieving SDG goal 6 regarding Clean Water and Sanitation, which has as its first target universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.

Undoubtedly, much progress can be said to have been made in water sector in recent decades; nonetheless, around 2.1 billion people are still bereft of clean water. It has been amply demonstrated by The Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report 2018 on Water and Sanitation that we are still off-track to meet SDG-6.  Water sector is already afflicted with perennial problems of yawning gap between demand and supply of water, accelerated pace of pollution of water resources, lack of funding and enfeebled governance to manage water effectively and efficiently. The worsening situation of water availability rules out the hackneyed approach of ‘business-as-usual’ because the 2030 Agenda enjoins upon us “to reach the furthest behind the first” by asking ourselves as to who amongst the 2.1 billion people presently without safe water, are the marginalized groups and it is our bounden duty to reach them. Concurrently, efforts ought to be made to let these people enjoy their right to clean water and sanitation.

Celebrating World Water Day 2019

Facts about Water

• 2.1 billion people live without safe water at home.
• One in four primary schools have no drinking water service, with pupils using unprotected sources or going thirsty.
• More than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

• Globally, 80% of the people who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources live in rural areas.

• Women and girls are responsible for water collection in eight out of ten households with water off-premises.

• For the 68.5 million people who have been forced to flee their homes, accessing safe water services is highly problematic.

• Around 159 million people collect their drinking water from surface water, such as ponds and streams.

• Around 4 billion people – nearly two-thirds of the world’s population – experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.

• Over 800 women die every day from complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

• 700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.

(Source: unwater.org)

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