Leaving no one behind

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has a mandate to coordinate and implement SDG 6 in South Africa by 2030. WASA catches up with Mark Bannister, chief engineer and SDG 6 coordinator at the DWS, to find out about its implementation and progress.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have built upon the successes and setbacks of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

SDG 6 relates to ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. South Africa’s DWS, as the custodian of water resources, is the leading agent for SDG 6. All the planning, collecting of data and reporting completed for SDG 6 is the responsibility of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu. Reporting is coordinated through Stats SA as the custodian of statistical information of our country. “When people ask me, 'Are we going to meet SDG 6 by 2030, I always say, ‘Yes, of course we are,’ but we all need to play our part – this is a ‘sector programme’ not a ‘DWS programme’. We either win together or lose together, and it is very much the Department’s intention to win. While progress is not as quick as we need it to be, as a sector, we must prioritise our actions, accelerate the process, and align ourselves with SDG 6 and the National Water & Sanitation Master Plan (NW&SMP) – we still have eight years to achieve this goal, and it’s up to all of us whether we achieve it or not,” says Bannister.

SDG 6 targets and indicators

He adds that, from an operational perspective, South Africa is one of the best-performing countries on the continent. “The UN is excited by our SDG 6 organisational structure,

“When people ask me, 'Are we going to meet SDG 6 by 2030?' I always say, ‘Yes, of course we are’. But we all need to play our part – this is a ‘sector programme’, not a ‘DWS programme’. We either win together or lose together and it is very much the Department’s intention to win.”

– Mark Bannister, chief engineer, DWS

TABLE 1 SDG 6: Targets and indicators

SDG 6 targets

SDG 6 is divided into eight targets that reflect the water cycle: SDG 6 indicator

SDG 6 has 11 indicators (black) that will be used to measure the progress made on each target. In addition to the 11 targets, South Africa has proposed additional targets (in blue)

 6.1: Drinking water – achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all  6.2: Sanitation hygiene – achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations  6.3: Wastewater and water quality – improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

 6.4: Water use and scarcity – 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  6.5: Water management – implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

 6.6: Ecosystems – protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes 6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services 6.2.1 Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services, including a hand-washing facility with soap and water

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater safely treated

6.3.1 (DWS) Proportion of water containing waste lawfully discharged

6.3.2 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

6.3.2 (DWS) Proportion of bodies of water complying to water quality objectives 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time

6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

6.5.1 Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100)

6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation 6.6.1 Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

6.6.1.1 (DWS) Change in the spatial extent of water-related ecosystems over time, including wetlands, reservoirs, lakes and estuaries as a percentage of total land area

6.6.1.2 (DWS) Number of lakes and dams affected by high trophic and turbidity states

6.6.1.3 (DWS) Change in the national discharge of rivers and estuaries over time

The targets have to be implemented through:  6a: International cooperation – expand international cooperation and capacity-building support  6b: Community participation – support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management 6.6.1.4 (DWS) Change in groundwater levels over time

6.6.1.5 (DWS) Change in the ecological condition of rivers, estuaries, lakes and wetlands

6.a.1. Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan 6.b.1 Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

in particular our independently initiated five cross-cutting Task Teams in support of the eight SDG 6 targets covering issues such as climate change and water and sanitation interlinkages between the other 16 SDGs.”

The SDG 6 programme continually measures the gaps that exist within its respective eight targets and 11 indicators. As these gaps change, the Target Task Teams provide recommendations for transformation and influence specific programmes/ projects to keep the programme on track in meeting the 2030 deadline. It is important to recognise the link between sustainable development and other relevant ongoing processes in the economic, social and environmental fields, such as the National Development Plan and NW&SMP, which the SDG 6 programme positively influences.

“Closing these gaps is a collective responsibility for the whole sector; each and every stakeholder in the business of water and sanitation – whether the private sector, civil society, mining, agriculture, government, research institutions – is responsible for closing the gaps,” explains Bannister. SDG 6 Working Group

The DWS has developed the SDG6 Working Group to coordinate activities related to the eight targets of SDG 6, besides inclusion of the other 16 SDGs. “The national and regional roll-out is in full swing,” explains Bannister. “However, a great operational structure is not enough – the performance of SDG 6 depends entirely on the performance of the sector and the implementation of tangible projects on the ground that actually close the SDG 6 gaps.”

Key Task Team objectives

• Interrogate and, where necessary, further develop or domesticate methodologies for reporting on the SDGs. • Collect data and report on trends towards achieving the SDGs. • Provide inputs to country reports and other SDG reports by researchers. • Monitor the current status and quantify the target gaps towards achieving the 2030 goal. • Identify potential interventions/ tangible projects for the sector to implement in order to close gaps. • Ensure sector alignment between the

NW&SMP and SDG 6. • Support water and sanitation needs of the other 16 SDGs. “Working on SDG 6 has been rewarding and inclusive, whereby experts from different parts of the business have been brought together to achieve a common goal while sharing their expertise and knowledge in specialist areas among the team. It certainly makes a positive impact on staff morale for those involved within the programme,” says Bannister.

To help mobilise the sector in their responsibility towards achieving SDG 6, the DWS has introduced a cross-cutting Task Team – the Water and Sanitation Sector Leadership Group (WSSLG) – in support of the eight targets and including representation from different sector components to inform, coordinate, monitor achievements and give instruction to the sector. The WSSLG meets every quarter to discuss progress on each of the targets, share interventions made by the different sector components, and explore new opportunities that can positively influence the target objectives and actions pursued by the sector to close the gaps.

According to Bannister, members of the Task Team (comprising broad representatives from the sector) should preach the key messages and mobilise others within their area of expertise to deliver projects aligned with the NW&SMP and the SDG 6 programme, so that their interventions contribute towards closing the gaps. “If every single organisation and role player makes a little positive difference towards achieving SDG 6, then this will add up to one big movement in the right direction,” he notes.

“I cannot overemphasise the massive role the WSSLG plays in the process. If SDG 6 is the game of soccer and the DWS is the coach, then the WSSLG are the players on the field without whom there is no game. The sector’s performance is indeed the SDG 6 programme performance. The sector’s actions and achievements are those that will ultimately close the gaps by 2030.

“The SDG Working Group influences drivers for change and one of the key instruments for this change is the NW&SMP. The themes in the NW&SMP align themselves to the SDG 6 targets”, explains Bannister.

Water and sanitation being central to the success of the other 16 SDGs initiated the creation of the SDG

Climate Chenge Chenge

Interlinkage with other SDGs SDGs

Interlinkage Task Team, which has developed a tool to gather the water and sanitation needs of each SDG and translate these needs into projects that influence positive change through the NW&SMP.

Monitoring and evaluation system

There is a great deal of work still to do, including the development and implementation of an improved monitoring and evaluation system to oversee the progress in achieving SDG 6 and its positive impact towards the other 16 SDGs.

“The DWS relies heavily on data from Stats SA and the General Household Survey for reporting on 6.1 (safe drinking water) and 6.2 (safe sanitation). However, additional quality data is required through the 144 water services authorities and their water and sanitation development plans, which are currently not performing well in this regard, nor providing the data we need. Local government must raise their standards here.”

It all comes down to funding and action by the sector

It has been estimated that the total infrastructure funding gap to achieve the SDG 6 water and sanitation access targets varies between 32% and 34% (R43 billion to R47 billion per annum).

The remaining funding gap varies between 32% and 34% (R43 billion to R47 billion per annum). “In order to meet SDG 6 by 2030, the entire water sector will have to work together and find innovative methods of securing finance to address the funding gap and using available money as efficiently as possible,” maintains Bannister.

Without full financial commitment and action from South Africa’s stakeholders, the country will struggle to meet the SDG 6 requirements. If there is only a partial financial commitment, then there will be only partial achievement of the SDG 6 goals. Total success of this programme requires a consolidated and integrated effort by all.

“Yes, we will achieve SDG 6 if we wish to do so; however, we must each walk the talk and make it happen,” states Bannister.

All SDG 6 reports by the DWS can be accessed here: