Progress on level of water stress 2021: global status and acceleration needs for SDG indicator 6.4.2
Target 6.4 is: “By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.” Indicator 6.4.2 tracks how much freshwater is being withdrawn by all economic activities, compared to the total renewable freshwater resources available. When a territory withdraws 25 per cent or more of its renewable freshwater resources it is said to be ‘water-stressed’. The monitoring of environmental water requirements encourages consideration for ecosystem health when available water resources are being allocated. This report presents the global status on the level of water stress and acceleration needs to achieve target 6.4 by 2030, based on the latest data on indicator 6.4.2.
