SDG 6: CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION IN INDIA
Authors: Aarushi A BJ2001, Debarpan Musib BJ20015, Sirisha Kolapalli BJ20024, Pranav D Kuriakose BJ20035, Rajit Das BJ20040, Swatik Pattnaik BJ20055.
It
is imperative to realize that the world is in dire need of transformation. One
could not have possibly fathomed a pandemic so vast and widespread in nature. The
need for sustainability is far more pronounced now than ever before. With a
similar vision in mind, the United Nations General Assembly had developed, back
in 2015, a collection of 17 interlinked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
that served as a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for
all”[i]. These
are the successors to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are aimed to be
achieved by 2030.
Occupying
the 6th number in this list, “Clean Water and Sanitation”, is a
crucial goal that lies as a top agenda for most nations, especially the
developing ones[ii].
There is a widespread issue of water scarcity and is closely associated with
the need for proper sanitation.
The
problems due to lack of clean water and sanitation facilities for proper
treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage have given rise to some
disturbing figures. In 2017, over 29% of the world’s population lacked safely
managed drinking water and over 55% of the world’s population lacked safely
managed sanitation[iii].
Handwashing facilities, the most effective tool against Covid-19, are absent
for 3 billion people worldwide as nations face shortage of soap and water. Availability
of clean drinking water has been a primary need for civilization and its
scarcity poses the threat of widespread displacement of people[iv].
To
mitigate these issues, a concentrated and holistic effort is required on a
global level. Thus, SDG 6 includes 8 specific targets:
- - provision of drinking water
- - sanitation and hygiene services
- - treatment and reuse of wastewater and ambient water quality
- - water-use efficiency and scarcity
- - integrated water resource management including through transboundary cooperation,
- - protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems
- - international cooperation
- -
capacity-building and participation in water and
sanitation management[v].
RELEVANCE
OF THE SDG TO INDIA
India has a massive population of around 138 crores with a density
of 382 persons per square kilometer. Clean water and sanitation have been imperative
to prevent the spread of pathogenic diseases like cholera. In India, diarrhea had
caused an average of 6514 deaths per day in the period between 2012 to 2017[vi]. This
has also caused an increase in the mortality
rate of children under the age of five in India. It is at present 39 per 1,000
live births. The target set by UN is to reduce the rate to 25 by 2030[vii].
Apart from health concerns, water is a significant
resource for agriculture. Farming accounts for more than 78% of the usage of
freshwater in India[viii].
Lack of efficient water irrigation systems and policies has caused exploitation
of over 90% of groundwater. Similarly, the generation of pollutants like
Calcium, Nitrate, Fluorides, and Sulphates from industries make their way into
drinking water sources, thus contaminating them. A study in Bangalore found that
77% of sample water was not safe for drinking[ix].
Sanitation
in India has improved with due to measures taken by the government as a part of
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Providing accessible toilet facilities have reduced open
defecaton causing a reduction in the contamination of various water[x]. On the other hand, menstrual
hygiene and sanitation facilities need to be improved in schools to prevent the
dropout of female students. It involves regular monitoring of the resources, proper
waste management, and educating girls about menstrual cycle[xi].
Similarly,
clean tap water connections to rural households have doubled from 16.94% to
31.33% as of 9th Dec 2020, as per Jal Jeevan Commission. This trend should
continue, as the current connections service only six crore households out of
the total number of 19.1 crore[xii].
BUSINESS IMPLICATIONS AND RESPONSES
Various
business processes must be aligned with the sustainability goals as it has
become a legal imperative in certain countries. Apart from these regulations,
many companies have shown a greater inclination to incorporate methods that
reduces water consumption and wastage. Many companies have taken steps on this
front to project themselves as socially conscious and responsible brands. Following
are the initiatives from a few companies in India that have shown considerable
success in attaining sustainability with their innovative programs.
Amazon:
India’s
booming e-commerce market carries a heavy environmental cost. The plastic used
in packaging finds its way to clog drainage systems. Hazardous chemicals
released from it contaminate the groundwater. Similarly, large requirements of
paper result in huge losses of forest cover, which lead to groundwater
depletion. Thus, a comprehensive step towards this regard by leading players of
the industry has been the need of the hour[xiii].
Amazon
has gone a step further in its aim to be the most customer-centric company by
offering options to its customers to save water at home. For example, Alexa can
help access Shower Buddy to time their showers and save water. Furthermore, the
company’s corporate offices support ecological functions like stormwater
management. Moreover, AWS is taking steps to develop their water use strategy
by evaluating climate patterns for each AWS Region. It is also expanding its
use of wastewater from industries for cooling purposes to help conserve local
drinking water sources[xiv].
P&G:
The
water footprint of large FMCG conglomerates has become multifold. Usage of
laundry detergents and soap in households ultimately makes its way to large
river systems, thus polluting them. Most grooming and beauty care products like
soap, shampoo, and facewash have been found to contain microbeads. Microbeads
are non-biodegradable and contaminate water bodies for decades, thus damaging
the marine ecosystem[xv].
To
fight this, Proctor & Gamble Company, one of the world’s largest consumer
goods company, has collaborated with Walmart in its ‘Clean Water Initiative’ in
March 2019 to spread awareness on water conservation. It has donated ‘P&G
purifier of water’ sachets under the program ‘Children’s safe drinking water
(CSDW)’, which helps purify water making it safe for drinking[xvi].
The other goals that it has pledged to meet are to reduce water consumption during
the production process by 20% and to source at least five billion liters of
water from circular sources by driving circularity[xvii].
Bajaj Auto:
Auto
industries in India have started to adopt water conservation measures at their
manufacturing units. Due to water shortage
in summer, the water supply to the manufacturing units is disrupted and this
impacts the business processes. Maruti Suzuki has installed dry wash facilities
in its workshops across India to counter this, consequently saving about 656
million liters of water in 2017-18[xviii].
Throughout
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand, the Bajaj has taken steps to conserve
water. Its Water Conservation project involves activities such as the deepening
of water channels and the construction of control dam's percolation tanks to
retain about 173,000 TCM of water. For phase 1 of this initiative, 51 villages
with about 17000 families were benefited. Modern community-managed Sustainable
drinking water systems have also been built in about 21 villages as part of the
Bajaj Drinking Water Project to provide high quality, safe and clean water to
residents[xix].
ANALYSIS
UN
has been pushing businesses to adopt practices that would ensure universal
access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). According to a report by CDP,
more than two-thirds of the largest corporations’ record exposure to water
hazards, and in 2016 the water related impact aggregated to USD 14 Billion for
these firms[xx].
Nonetheless, adopting such practices could help most businesses in the long run.
There are many reasons in favor, and some are mentioned below.
Local
anger against polluting plant could cause the closure of factories.
Availability of clean fresh water is going to decrease in the long run if
pollution is not abated. This could reduce the availability of clean fresh water
for the locals. A Coca-cola plant was
shut down in Panchimada in Kerala in 2000 after protests against gross
extraction and pollution of local water bodies. Many other companies are facing
the same issues and their costs are increasing due to litigation charges[xxi].
Moreover,
there could be an increase in attrition due to unsafe working conditions owing
to unavailability of clean water. Providing clean water and sanitation
facilities could reduce absenteeism arising from health issues and improve
worker productivity. Moreover, steps by the top companies in the supply chain
could induce the other companies below to adopt similar practices[xxii].
Additionally,
the lack of proper sanitation facilities can affect consumer spending. Girls
have had to drop out from schools preventing them from honing necessary skills
due to the unavailability of toilets. Their families thus become dependent on
just the male breadwinners causing decrease in consumer spending potential of these
families[xxiii].
Mishandling
and excessive extraction of fresh water in a particular year could affect its
availability the next year in India and affect water heavy businesses. This is
because India is heavily dependent on monsoon season for most of its rains.
There is no surety that rains would be good the next year. Therefore, businesses
dependent on clean water must maintain proper rainwater harvesting and storage
facilities to ensure replenishment of ground water and water bodies[xxiv].
Last
but not the least, the availability of clean water and sanitation could lead to
acceleration of economic growth of the country. Favorable macro-economic
environment would help businesses to thrive. For instance, the benefits of
clean water and sanitation were observed in late 19th century in the
USA when water chlorination and filtration led to a substantial decrease in
mortality rates with an approximate social rate of return of 23 to 1.
Furthermore, in 2003 experts estimated that the average cost per cancer case
was reduced due to stricter standards of drinking water and this allowed the
health system to avoid a cost of USD 4 Billion[xxv].
THE
PATH AHEAD
While
its observable that several entities are heading initiatives to conserve and
provide clean water and sanitation, these initiatives should be occupying a
priority in the agenda of these entities. Water audits are increasingly being
used by the companies. It helps to analyze the flow of water in the system and identify
points where the consumption or wastage can be reduced leading to lower
charges. Currently, the impact of water scarcity on industries are felt in
different parts of the country in an irregular manner. In February 2018,
Gujarat drastically reduced its water supply by 70% reflecting the challenges
faced by the industrial water supply management and the dependence of the
country on unpredictable monsoon trends. Companies in the manufacturing hub of
Gujarat that employed efficient systems and audited their water usage had
benefitted considerably. While water conservation and utilization are important
aspects, a company is only going to adopt them whole heartedly when such
measures impact their Profit and Loss statement substantially.
The
technology to desalinize sea water for developing potable water is still in the
development stage with investment and implementation being majorly done in the
Middle East and the US. However, this is not a feasible option for India, at
least in the near future, due to the high costs[xxvi].
On
the sanitation front, Fecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) might be a
practical solution to the problem of sanitation in the country. Indian
sanitation experts in the India Sanitation Coalition (ISC) multi-stake holder
dialogue suggested that effective wastewater management and elimination of open
defecation are difficult to achieve. Adopting FSSM, which is also a key
component under AMRUT, will result in an institutionalized emptying system that
would eliminate the need for on-site sanitation systems (such as septic tanks,
pits, and holes)[xxvii].
Thus,
the need for clean water and sanitation is starkly evident. To achieve the same
by 2030, governments, nations, corporates, and individuals need to join hands,
as only a collective effort will be successful in expelling the ghastly results
due to lack of clean water and sanitation.
Company Reports:
Amazon: https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/pdfBuilderDownload?name=sustainability-all-in-september-2020
Asian Paints: https://www.asianpaints.com/sustainability/pdf/Sustainability%20Report%202019-20%20LowRes.pdf
Bajaj Auto: https://www.bajajauto.com/-/media/bajaj-auto/Investors/Annual-Reports/Supplementary-Report-on-CSR-activities-2018-19.ashx
ICICI: https://www.icicibank.com/aboutus/Annual-Reports/environmental-social-and-governance-report/img/ICICI-Bank-ESG-Report-2020.pdf
P&G: https://in.pg.com/sustainability-reports/
[i] Sustainable Development Goals. (2020). Retrieved
10 December 2020, from
https://www.undp.org/content/singapore-global-centre/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html
[ii] Ibid.
[iii]
Goal 6 | Department of Economic and Social
Affairs. (2020). Retrieved 10 December 2020, from
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6
[iv] Coronavirus crisis: internal displacement.
(2020). Retrieved 10 December 2020, from
https://www.internal-displacement.org/crises/coronavirus
[v] Clean Water and Sanitation, (2020). Retrieved 10 December 2020,
from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
[vi] Tripathi, B. (2018). Diarrhoea Took More Lives Than Any
Other Water-Borne Disease In India. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from
https://www.indiaspend.com/diarrhoea-took-more-lives-than-any-other-water-borne-disease-in-india-58143/
[vii] IndiaSpend, S. (2020). Diarrhoea, pneumonia kill one child
every two minutes in India. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from
https://www.business-standard.com/article/health/diarrhoea-pneumonia-kill-one-child-every-two-minutes-in-india-118111500106_1.html
[viii] Repurposing public policies for sustainable water
management in Indian agriculture - India. (2020). Retrieved 9 December 2020,
from https://reliefweb.int/report/india/repurposing-public-policies-sustainable-water-management-indian-agriculture
[ix] News, C., & News, B. (2020). Bengaluru’s tap
water among most unsafe, Mumbai’s best | Bengaluru News - Times of India.
Retrieved 10 December 2020, from
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bengalurus-tap-water-among-most-unsafe-mumbais-best/articleshow/72091967.cms
[x] An
open defecation free India. (2020). Retrieved 9 December 2020, from
https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/ending-open-defecation#:~:text=India%20has%20made%20rapid%20progress,sanitation%20and%20hygiene%20(WASH).&text=500%20million%20people%20have%20stopped,less%20than%2050%20million%20today
[xi] Menstrual Hygiene Day Facts: Only 36 Percent Of
The Women In India Use Sanitary Pads During Periods | Menstrual Hygiene.
(2019). Retrieved 10 December 2020, from
https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/menstrual-hygiene-day-facts-26-percent-use-sanitary-pads-periods-34309/
[xii] JJM Dashboard . (2020). Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://ejalshakti.gov.in/jjmreport/JJMIndia.aspx
[xiii] Online shopping means cutting billions of
trees. (2020). Retrieved 10 December 2020, from https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/online-shopping-means-cutting-billions-of-trees-61296
[xiv] https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/pdfBuilderDownload?name=sustainability-all-in-september-2020
[xv] Kapoor, N. (2020). Microbeads: An environmental challenge
for the FMCG industry. Retrieved 10 December 2020, from
https://www.business-standard.com/content/b2b-chemicals/microbeads-an-environmental-challenge-for-the-fmcg-industry-117060300213_1.html
[xvi] P&G sustainability reports | Procter and
Gamble. (2020). Retrieved 10 December 2020, from
https://in.pg.com/sustainability-reports/
[xvii] Ibid.
[xviii]India, P. (2020). Auto-firms enhance water
conservation at manufacturing units. Retrieved 10 December 2020, from https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/auto-firms-enhance-water-conservation-at-manufacturing-units-119062000853_1.html
[xix] Supplementary Report to the Annual Report
on CSR activities for the year ended 31 March 2018 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjgrdzDycHtAhVOSX0KHT4qAFcQFjABegQIBBAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bajajauto.com%2F-%2Fmedia%2Fbajaj-auto%2FCorporate-Social-Responsibility%2Fbal-csr-4th-proof-220618.ashx&usg=AOvVaw29f52FUkxvtTRRbNN8CV1k
[xx] Why Companies Should Dip Their Toes in
Clean Water (and Sanitation) - Pacific Institute. (2017). Retrieved 9 December
2020, from https://pacinst.org/whycompaniesshoulddiptheirtoesinthesdgs/
Comments
Post a Comment