SDGs for water – Three step approach for monitoring

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes a dedicated goal on water and sanitation (SDG 6) that sets out to ‘ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’. The indicators under target 6.4 comprise SDG 6.4.1 – change in water use efficiency over time and SDG 6.4.2 – Level of water stress. This memo shows the results of a limited project conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Deltares and eLEAF to show what can be compiled for the indicators under SDG 6.4 for the Netherlands and what could be compiled to support other countries in the process of monitoring the 6.4 SDGs. The core line of development of the methods is the so-called ladder approach, a three - step approach in which data combinations for compilation of the indicators are described.
In September 2015, heads of state from all around the world adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. The 2030 Agenda includes a dedicated goal on water and sanitation (SDG 6) that sets out to ‘ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’. The indicators under target 6.4 comprise SDG 6.4.1 – change in water use efficiency over time and SDG 6.4.2 – Level of water stress that relates water abstraction (‘withdrawal’) to available freshwater resources. Six Proof of Concept countries (PoC), including the Netherlands, were invited to test the methodologies developed by UN organizations and to collect data for the indicators linked to SDGs 6.3 to 6.6.
As a result of the Proof of Concept process, Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Deltares and eLEAF began a limited project aiming to show what can be compiled for the indicators under SDG 6.4 for the Netherlands and what could be compiled to support other countries in the process of evaluating the 6.4 SDGs.

This memo shows the results of the project supported by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, being the two key stakeholders to the SDG Target 6.4. It is part of the Dutch effort as a Proof of Concept country for SDG 6.
We considered the use of the ladder approach for the Netherlands in order to add detail to the monitoring system already in place via existing national statistics. By means of remote sensing information is incorporated in these statistics already, but can be extended, and modelling could be able to add more detail.

The core line of development of the methods is the so-called ladder approach, a three - step approach in which data combinations for compilation of the indictors are described, from either:
i) existing data available from National Accounts, water statistics (following IRWS1) & SEEA – type Water Accounts2;
ii) supplementary data from satellites and models;
iii) An integrated approach with full consistency between the statistical data, model data and satellite data.

The possible application of the used approach in the Netherlands in other countries including the use of other sources was considered in order to support the procedures that can be applied in countries to monitor and report on their targets of SDG 6.4.

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