Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Goal 6 is about ensuring universal access to clean and safe drinking water at an affordable price. Sanitation and hygiene must be improved and the proportion of untreated wastewater must be halved as a minimum.

In Greenland, there is access to clean drinking water in all towns and villages. Efforts are constantly being made to improve the water supply to ensure that all citizens have access to high-quality drinking water.

The ice sheet makes up about 80% of the total area in Greenland and means that Greenland is enriched with an enormous and unique water resource. Globally, certainly not everyone has access to the same water resources as here. Clean drinking water is a prerequisite for public health, business and the development of society. Our drinking water is surface water from rivers and lakes. Therefore, we must take care of the country's natural resources, and ensure that water sources are protected from pollution, waste dumping, discharges of hazardous chemicals and untreated wastewater.

In the larger cities there are good sanitary toilet conditions and established sewers, but in the smaller settlements there are still challenges with the disposal of night waste. Naalakkersuisut and the municipalities are working on solutions that ensure sanitary sound disposal of night waste. The solutions focus on reducing direct human contact with night waste and on wastewater management, and its impact on the marine environment.

Globally one in three people live without sanitation. This is causing unnecessary disease and death. Although huge strides have been made with access to clean drinking water, lack of sanitation is undermining these advances. If we provide affordable equipment and education in hygiene practices, we can stop this senseless suffering and loss of life.

Statistics

Here are a few indicators for this goal that it is possible to measure today. In the near future, Statistics Greenland will publish an SDG 2030 subpage for stat.gl with various available statistics relevant to the work on the SDG 2030 agenda.

Annual sales of drinking water (mio m3)
Source: Nukissiorfiit

4,5

All water that Nukussiorfiit distributes is considered drinking water.

News

Every day, people are taking action to make sure this Global Goals is met. See what’s been going on below.

The targets

Everyone can help to make sure that we meet the Global Goals. Use these eight targets to ensure clean water and sanitation for all.

Target 6.1 – Safe and Affordable Drinking Water

By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.

Target 6.2 – End Open Defecation and Provide Access to Sanitation and Hygiene

By 2030, 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.

Target 6.3 – Improve Water Quality, Wastewater Treatment and Safe Reuse

By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

Target 6.4 – Increase Water-Use Efficiency and Ensure Freshwater Supplies

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.

Target 6.5 – Implement Integrated Water Resources Management

By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.

Target 6.6 – Protect and Restore Water-Related Ecosystems

By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.

Target 6.a – Expand Water and Sanitation Support to Developing Countries

By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies.

Target 6.b – Support Local Engagement in Water and Sanitation Management

Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.