Water – we drink it, we need it for cooking, we wash with it. For many, water simply comes out of the tap, it is available as a matter of course, and running the shower a minute longer in the morning is apparently possible without any problems. Water is needed for sanitary facilities just as much as for the production of food or other goods. But for every second person in the world, water is in short supply for at least one month per year. Every fourth person has to drink contaminated water because no other drinking water resources are available. One in ten even has no secure access to water at all. Some countries are under water stress and face the risk that they may soon run out of water. This also means that in certain regions there is a risk of social and political conflict over water. The number of people who have access to sanitation has increased in recent years. Nevertheless, about one in eleven people still has to defecate in the open because there is no toilet at all. More than one in three people have neither water, a sink nor a toilet at home. A lack of sanitary facilities favors the more rapid spread of diseases and bacteria. Water supply is therefore also always closely linked to health.

By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries for water and sanitation activities and programs, including water collection and storage, desalination, efficient water use, wastewater treatment, and reuse and recycling technologies. By engaging local communities in improving water management and sanitation, SDG 6 will be implemented.