Regional EU Sustainable Development Indicators for Ireland 2022

Sanitation

People living in households without basic sanitary facilities

SDG_06_10 measures the share of total population having neither a bath, nor a shower, nor an indoor flushing toilet in their household. See Table 6.1 and Figure 6.1.

Population connected to at least secondary waste water treatment

SDG_06_20 measures the percentage of population connected to wastewater treatment systems with at least secondary treatment. In such systems, wastewater is treated by a process generally involving biological treatment with a secondary settlement or other process, resulting in a removal of organic material that reduces the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) by at least 70% and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) by at least 75%. See Table 6.2 and Figure 6.2.

Water quality

Biochemical oxygen demand in rivers

SDG_06_30 Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is used to measure water quality. It refers to the amount of oxygen required by aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic substances in a water sample over a period of five days in the dark at 20°C (BOD₅), measured as milligrams per litre (mg O₂/L) and weighted by the number of measuring stations. High values of BOD₅ are usually a sign of organic pollution, which affects the water quality. The cleanest rivers have BOD₅ values of less than 1mg O₂/L, moderately and heavily polluted rivers show values ranging from 2 to 8mg O₂/L. Only complete series after inter/extrapolation are presented. For details on the total of measuring stations and their distribution over the countries, please consult the metadata file. See Table 6.3 and Figure 6.3.

Nitrate in groundwater 

SDG_06_40 refers to concentrations of nitrate (NO₃) in groundwater, measured as milligrams per litre (mg NO₃/L). Data are taken from well samples and aggregated to annual average values. Nitrate can persist in groundwater for a long time and accumulate at a high level through inputs from anthropogenic sources (mainly agriculture). The EU drinking water standard is limited to 50mg NO₃/L to avoid threats to human health. Only complete series after inter/extrapolation are presented. For details on the total of measuring stations and their distribution over the countries, please consult the metadata file. See Table 6.4 and Figure 6.4.

Phosphate in rivers

SDG_06_50 refers to concentration of phosphate (PO₄) in the dissolved phase of water samples, measured as milligrams per litre (mg PO₄/L). Data are taken from river stations and aggregated to annual average values. At high levels, phosphate can cause water quality problems, such as eutrophication, by triggering the growth of macrophytes and algae. Only complete series after inter/extrapolation are presented. For details on the total of measuring stations and their distribution over the countries, please consult the metadata file. See Table 6.5 and Figure 6.5.

Water scarcity

Water exploitation index (WEI+)

SDG_06_60 The regionalised water exploitation index (WEI+) measures total water consumption as a percentage of the renewable freshwater resources available for a given territory and period. It quantifies how much water is abstracted monthly or seasonally and how much water is returned before or after use to the environment via river basins (e.g. leakages, discharges by economic sectors). The difference between water abstractions and water returns is regarded as ‘water consumption’. In the absence of Europe-wide agreed formal targets, values above 20% are generally considered to be a sign of water scarcity, while values equal to or greater than 40% indicate situations of severe water scarcity, meaning the use of freshwater resources is unsustainable. Annual calculations of the WEI+ at national level do not reflect uneven spatial and seasonal distribution of resources and may therefore mask water stress, which occurs on a seasonal or regional basis. The indicator is a result of data modelling by the EEA based on data from the WISE SoE-Water quantity database (WISE 3) and other open sources (JRC, Eurostat, OECD, FAO) and including gap filling methods. See Table 6.6 and Figure 6.6.