The 2030 Agenda emerges as a highly ambitious project with a concern for the inequality gap on the planet, posing challenges to leave no one behind while not undermining the challenges of economic development and the sustainability of our planet. As the tenth anniversary of its inception approaches, initially widely and unequivocally embraced, the agenda now seems to have lost some of its initial luster due to the pandemic, wars in Ukraine and Israel-Palestine. The climate challenge has become even more evident, with its current impacts in the form of fires, floods, and frequent extreme droughts now costing double the estimated investment needed to accelerate the ecological transition. The agricultural sector in Europe is struggling to cover its production costs, creating tensions with other producing countries. This sector is crucial for maintaining food security. We are witnessing an electric car revolution, and many countries are now capable of generating renewable energy as their primary source, which globally accounts for 16% of the energy mix, surpassing nuclear (9%). However, the primary source of consumed energy remains fossil fuels (83%). Regarding the poverty gap, there was significant progress until 2019 with historic data (from 2010 to 2015, a reduction from 16% to 10%), but the pandemic and other global-impact events from 2019-2022 have complicated the situation. Currently, 700 million people live on less than USD 2.15 per day (the extreme poverty line). Extreme poverty remains concentrated in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, fragile and conflict-affected areas, and rural regions.
With all this in mind, I have been reflecting for months on our responsibility as water sector professionals regarding the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) directly related to SDG 6, which seeks to ensure the availability of water and sanitation for all and acts as a critical vector for the development of several other SDGs. For some time, I have been developing this idea and have wanted to delve deeper and analyze our role from this perspective. I aim to share these reflections for debate both within and outside the sector for further development because it is undeniable to consider food security to address SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) without ensuring the availability of water when the agricultural sector consumes 70% of the planet’s available water. The UN’s SDGs present an ambitious agenda that combines the three dimensions of sustainability. However, in this mix of social, economic, and environmental aspirations, and under the premise that some goals require others to fully materialize the 17, it is important to adopt a hierarchical vision in which SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation is understood as the master key that opens the door to achieving the other goals.
Without water, neither immediate human needs, nor energy, nor food, nor health are guaranteed. This is one of the reasons, among others, that led me to coin my new motto: No Water, No Nothing.
The Cross-Cutting Impact of Water on All Goals
As an introduction, in future chapters, I intend to advance some of the developments I outline here, highlighting water as an essential element that connects all aspects of sustainable development. A few examples suffice: Water is vital for Health (SDG 3): Access to potable water and sanitation services is crucial to prevent diseases and promote a healthy population, significantly reducing the burden of waterborne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis. There is no need to analyze the havoc that droughts cause in affected communities. We have seen how many of our potable water projects make available water that replaces 10-20 times more expensive water sold in barrels without health guarantees or treatment plants that adjust water quality suitable for discharge into rivers, preventing fecal contamination where downstream communities use it for their primary needs, with well-known health consequences.
With water, Education (SDG 4) becomes easier: Data show that the availability of adequate sanitation facilities in schools directly influences attendance and academic performance, especially among girls. Water and food in schools act as catalysts in many education projects in deprived areas to ensure attendance, and what started as an incentive later helped develop school farms, providing future sustainability.
The industrial sector is responsible for 20% of available water consumption. Water insecurity today compromises the location of our industries and production centers, and the responsibility for proper treatment of their discharged waters is already a regulated requirement that will continue to grow. There is no Economic Growth (SDG 8) without efficient water management for our factories, the development of agriculture, industry, and energy, key sectors for a country’s economic growth. Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Life on Land (SDG 15) directly benefit from sustainable water management, which prevents ocean and river pollution, protecting biodiversity in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
The development of cities has historically been based on riverbanks or near water sources that have now disappeared, compromising their future without alternative sources. The historical origin of Mexico City – The Aztec kingdom of Tenochtitlan over the lakes of Texcoco 700 years ago is proof of this, and nothing remains of those vast navigable water sources. I recently reread the book “The God of Rain Cries Over Mexico,” and I was deeply impressed by the contrast with the present. When I first read it almost 40 years ago during my university years, I was not aware, nor was there possibly sensitivity to the lack of the resource. There are many similar cases. We know that without water, there are no Sustainable Cities (SDG 11): Efficient water and sanitation systems are fundamental for sustainable urban development, directly impacting public health and quality of life in urban areas.
Water is even necessary to meet other goals of the 2030 Agenda that may seem distant, such as Water for Peace. Under this theme, the importance of water has been highlighted this year; SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, to emphasize the inevitable global partnership and the consolidation of strong institutions for sustainable development. The Nile, the largest river in the world competing with the Amazon, faces risks of ecological flow due to high withdrawals and is now compromised by the construction of a dam upstream in Ethiopia. The Danube shares its waters in Europe with 10 countries, and the Colorado River with 7 states (two of them Mexican). Not to mention the meager flow of the Jordan River, which shared waters between Israel and Palestine. Most rivers that share borders do not have cross-border treaties, undoubtedly a future source of tension, highlighting the importance of these two SDGs.
Every drop counts
Therefore, to recognize the integral importance of water, I will start a series of articles dedicated to exploring the relationship between SDG 6 and the other goals of the 2030 Agenda. I will show with practical examples that without starting with proper water management, any effort for a sustainable future will be significantly compromised. I will also discuss innovative strategies highlighting water’s role in global sustainable development. With these articles, I reaffirm my commitment to the 2030 Agenda, contributing my drop so that a world with safe and sustainable access to water becomes a reality for all, not just a goal. Because there is plenty of water, we have viable solutions, and the technology to make it available for everyone also exists. What is needed is more will.
No Water, No Nothing.
