As established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, water and sanitation are fundamental rights for every human being. This means that every human has the right to have between 50 to 100 litres of water per day, but it must be safe and affordable water and its source should not be further than 1,000 meters. In many countries, however, this fundamental right is not always easy to claim.
Jordan is the second most water scarce country in the whole world, with annual renewable water resources of 100 m3 per person, which is critically under the 500 m3 threshold of water scarcity. In Jordan, currently, more than 98 per cent of the population has access to an improved water source and more than 94 per cent are connected to a piped network. However, water is often only available once a week in urban areas, and less than once every two weeks in rural areas, with reduced frequency during the summer. With the increasing challenges that the world will face due to climate change, the situation in Jordan may become even worse. According to recent data collected by the Nas (National Academy of Sciences), if no interventions are implemented, by 2100 several homes in Jordan might not be able to access the minimum of 40 litres of piped water per person every day.
Since several countries face the same threat as Jordan, the UN pledged to ensure clean water and sanitation to all by 2030. This commitment is the sixth of seventeen global goals that the UN aims to meet by the same year. All of us can help to reach this goal through the following eight targets:
- Target 6.1 SAFE AND AFFORDABLE DRINKING WATER
This target will ensure that by 2030 everyone will have safe and affordable drinking water - Target 6.2 END OPEN DEFECATION AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO SANITATION AND HYGIENE
Not all countries have the adequate sanitation, and this target aims at ending open defecation, with a special focus on the needs of women and girls. - Target 6.3 IMPROVE WATER QUALITY, WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND SAFE REUSE
This target aims at reducing pollution, eliminating dumping, and minimising the introduction of toxic chemicals and materials, reducing the amount of untreated wastewater to a half, and increasing recycling and reusing. - Target 6.4 INCREASE WATER-USE EFFICIENCY AND ENSURE FRESHWATER SUPPLIES
This target’s aim is to reduce water scarcity by increasing water-use efficiency in every sector and making sure to withdraw water in a sustainable way. - Target 6.5 IMPLEMENT INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Cooperation in the managing of resources is crucial for sustainable development, and this target aims at implementing it at all levels, even beyond borders. - Target 6.6 PROTECT AND RESTORE WATER-RELATED ECOSYSTEMS
This target aims not only at protecting water-related ecosystems, but also at restoring the ones that are being destroyed. - Target 6.7 EXPAND WATER AND SANITATION SUPPORT TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Developing countries are usually more likely to risk water scarcity, so the aim of this target is to strengthen international cooperation to support developing countries in water and sanitation-related activities and programs, such as water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling, and reuse technologies. - Target 6.8 SUPPORT LOCAL ENGAGEMENT IN WATER AND SANITATION MANAGEMENT
Individual actions are crucial to water and sanitation management, so this target aims at strengthening the involvement of the local communities in water-related issues and solutions.
In Jordan, the eighth point is already an important part in the daily life of everyone who lives there, as people live with rationed water that gets pumped once a week. While Jordanians are used to performing their daily tasks considering the amount of water that they can use, for people like me, coming from a place where unlimited water is taken for granted, the challenges might be different. What is it like to move from the second country for water consumption in Europe to the second country for water scarcity in the whole world?
According to new data collected bay EurEau (European Federation of National Associations of Water Services), Italy is one of the most wasteful countries in Europe with an average of 220 litres per person per day, second only to Switzerland (300 litres per person per day) and followed by Portugal (200 litres per person per day). Moving from a country that forgets the importance of water every day, to a country that faces water scarcity has been a humbling and learning experience for me. As a person who is always been passionate about climate change, I have always been careful about my water consumption. However, moving to Jordan and learning how to live with a fixed weekly amount of water made me realise that, although I was already conscious about the issue, I could put a greater effort into saving water.
Even though at times our efforts might seem useless, our individual behaviour is of utmost importance when it comes to preserving water. Life in Jordan has taught me that adopting a less wasteful lifestyle is not challenging at all. Wasting less water in our daily tasks is extremely easy and it can be done without giving up any type of comfort in our life. New habits such as taking shorter showers, postponing hair washing days, using less water for house chores, trying to do less laundry are just small steps that can lead to saving a significant amount of water. These small habits can actually be adopted anywhere, and I am sure that I will take them back home with me. Although we might not live in a water scarce country, mindful water consumption should be a concern for everyone, as its scarcity will sooner or later affect the whole planet if we don’t act now.
Francesca Cuomo
References
6 Clean Water and Sanitation, The Global Goals, UN https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/6-clean-water-and-sanitation/ (last access 28/04/2022).
https://www.eureau.org/ (last access 27/04/2022).
Global Issues – Water, https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/water (last access 27/04/2022).
L’Italia tra i maggiori consumatori d’acqua in Europa, https://www.ispionline.it/it/pubblicazione/litalia-e-tra-i-maggiori-consumatori-dacqua-europa-34665 (last access 28/04/2022).
Un Water – Jordan https://sdg6data.org/country-or-area/Jordan#anchor_6.4.2 (last access 28/04/2022)
