Sustainability is concept of sustaining something for a long time without compromising on other factors. Sustainable development is how we as a whole strive to grow in a sustainable manner. To do this we mainly focus on three pillars for human well being: economic, ecological/environmental and socio-political conditions. (Blue, 2015) Water is one of the main elements of sustainable development. Getting rid of water related problems is key for development.

Water is a finite and irreplaceable resource that is fundamental to human well-being. It is only renewable if well managed. Water is also at the heart of adaptation to climate change, serving as the crucial link between the climate system, human society and the environment. (Harrington, 2014) If not managed effectively then two-thirds of the world’s population will be water-stressed by 2030. Even though water can pose significant challenge to sustainable development, if managed equitably and efficiently, it can play a key role and can cause swift development. (Roger, 2014)

When the millennium development goals were set in 2000 to achieve by 2015, no water related goal was set. It wasn’t until 2012 at the Rio+20 conference where the United Nations decided to set a goal regarding water scarcity after seeing the panic-stricken situation of various water-stressed countries. Therefore, in 2015 the Sustainable Development Goals were created. These were a set of more focused goals and had a goal directly linking to the sustainable management of water to prevent it from running out in the future. The SDG goal no. 6 links to water related issues.

With the world’s population constantly growing, our resources are slowly running out too. Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. At the current time, more than 2 billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources and by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.

It is very vital for the people who currently have access to water to start saving or reducing the amount of water they use daily and contribute as a whole to solutions to water scarcity across the globe.