The short Locker, by the Indian Selvaraj, was the winner in the micro-fiction category of the fifth edition of the We Art Water Film Festival. It is a powerful allegory of the situation experienced by many of the more than 1.5 billion people who lack access to water in their homes. The protagonist of the short film lives in a neglected and poor arid zone. Her life and her family depend on having access to the water rations she locks in a drawer.   

Unifying the terminology established by the UN to define the SDG 6 targets better is a necessary step towards improving communication in international cooperation. Halfway to the completion of the Agenda 2030, the analysis of the meaning of current terms defining this goal clarifies the scale of the problem and shows the way to solutions.   

A new refugee aid project in Rwanda reminds us of the helplessness of those fleeing the almost silent wars and conflicts that continue to sow destruction and death. Most of them barely get by in camps with inadequate food, water, sanitation, and hygiene, but the worst thing for their lives and dignity is that their tragedy falls into oblivion.

There is so much you can do. In the face of new denialism that devalues individual actions and fosters the idea that the solutions proposed to stop global warming are useless, the mobilization encouraged by water scarcity shows that every effort has the power to make effective changes. The drops of water you save do count.

A new project on the island of Borneo reveals the precarious situation of people living in the most neglected rural areas of the island, where the availability of water does not guarantee access for most of the population. The loss of biodiversity makes access to water difficult for those who live there. This is another serious problem for what is still one of the great biosphere reserves.  

Success stories in the fight for access to basic sanitation are a source of lessons to attain the SDG 6. The webinar “Valuing toilets beyond visible” showcased three experiences that provide valuable knowledge on the complex relationship between defecation and sanitation: the fight against open defecation, the use of feces and the healthiness of slums.

Uncontrolled urban growth destroys water around it, creating a serious supply problem. Many cities around the world need to search for water further and further away. In the short film Los Conductores del Agua - The Drivers of Water, a micro-documentary finalist at the We Art Water Film Festival 5, the so-called “piperos”, the water carriers, bear witness to this problem in the Mexican city of Morelia.

On World Toilet Day, the UN calls for valuing this simple facility that is critical to attaining SDG 6 and enabling millions of people to move towards the eradication of poverty, the achievement of health, gender equality and dignity. The sanitation investment gap continues to divide rich and poor. If we do not close it, SDG 6 will remain a long way off.