The spatial disaggregation of the SDG 6.4.2 (level of water stress) by river basin

The webinar titled "The spatial disaggregation of the SDG 6.4.2 (level of water stress) by river basin", which was organized by the FAO Technical Network on Climate Change, showed some results of the spatial disaggregation of the SDG 6.4.2 indicator at river basin level, at global and subnational scale.

Water stress has an impact on countries of every continent and hinders the sustainability of natural resources, as well as economic and social development. Target 6.4, by 2030, aims at ensuring sustainable withdrawal and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity (United Nations, 2015).

The SDG 6.4.2 indicator (level of water stress) is one of the two indicators identified to monitor this target and it is defined as the ratio between the total freshwater withdrawn (TFWW) by all major sectors (Agriculture, Industry and Services) and the total renewable freshwater resources (TRWR), after taking into account environmental flow requirements (EF). FAO, as custodian agency of the indicator 6.4.2, collects annual data at country level and reports them to the Statistical Division of the United Nations (UNSD).

At the global level, 18.4 percent of total renewable freshwater resources available are being withdrawn by different economic activities. However, this safe value at the global level hides the higher values and the variability that exists at the regional, national and subnational levels. Aggregated values of water stress at global, regional and country level can mask wide differences within the area considered. Therefore disaggregating the indicator becomes crucial to provide a finer view of both the causes and effects of water stress, allowing policy and decision makers to target interventions at regions with high water stress and sectors with high water use. 

Presentations were delivered by Riccardo Biancalani, Project coordinator (Integrated monitoring initiative for SDG 6) and Michela Marinelli, Environmental analyst (Integrated monitoring initiative for SDG 6).