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The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are a set of global development targets adopted by the United Nations (UN) member countries in September 2015 to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The UN SDGs are driving the global development agenda towards Agenda 2030.
The Sustainable Development Goals National Implementation Plan 2018-2020 was in direct response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provides a whole-of-government approach to implement the 17 SDGs. Ireland’s Second National Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals 2022-2024 reviews the progress made towards each of the 17 Goals - whether in Ireland or at an international level - showcasing case studies that can help guide us towards best practice. It focuses on the need to fully integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into our thinking and our action across the full spectrum of policy-making and delivery – how to capture the good work already underway, and how to inform and educate ourselves as to what more can be done.
This release for Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitiation has 11 SDG indicators which are divided into 3 main chapters: Clean and Safe Water, Water Management and Water Policies.
SDG 6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services is indicated by data from 2 different sources:
SDG 6.2.1 Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a handwashing facility with soap and water is indicated by data from CSO, Census of Population 2022 Profile 2 Housing in Ireland.
SDG 6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater safely treated - indicative data is reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
SDG 6.3.2 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality - indicative data is reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
SDG 6.4.1 Change in water use efficiency over time - no data available at national level.
SDG 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources - the CSO Environment and Climate & Energy division report water resources, water abstraction figures and environmental flow requirements. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations then derives the SDG 6.4.2 from this data. The water abstraction figures the CSO reported to FAO were based on the Environmental Protection Agency's water abstraction register. While not all abstractions are required to register, an estimated 99% of the volume abstracted in Ireland has been registered.
SDG 6.5.1 Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100) is reported to the UN Environment division by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Details of all footnotes in Table 5.3 in relation to SDG 6.5.1 are as follows:
1. Enabling Environment Section
1Sub-national includes jurisdictions not at national level, such as: states, provinces, prefectures, counties, councils, regions, or departments. In cases where there are no explicit sub-national policies, please answer this question by considering how national policies are being implemented at sub-national levels. Responses should consider the highest, non-national level(s) as appropriate to the country. In the status description, please explain which level(s) are included in the response.
2At the basin/aquifer level, please include only the most important river basins, lake basins and aquifers for water supply or other reasons. This question only refers to these basins/aquifers. These basins/aquifers are likely to cross administrative borders, including state/provincial borders for federal countries. The basins may also cross-national borders, but this question refers to management of the portions of basins within each country. Question 1.2c refers specifically to transboundary arrangements for basins/aquifers shared by countries.
3For ‘transboundary’ definition and guidance on how to fill out all transboundary level questions, see Annexes A and B. All transboundary level questions should reflect the situation in most of the ‘most important’ transboundary basins/aquifers, as listed in Annex B. An ‘arrangement’ should be a formal commitment, and may be referred to as a bilateral or multilateral agreement, treaty, convention, protocol, joint declaration, memorandum of understanding, or other arrangement between riparian countries on the management of a transboundary basin/aquifer. Refers to international basins/aquifers only. Arrangements may be interstate, intergovernmental, inter-ministerial, interagency or between regional authorities. They may also be entered into by sub-national entities.
4Sub-national includes jurisdictions not at national level, such as: states, provinces, prefectures, counties, councils, regions, or departments. In cases where there are no explicit sub-national regulations, please answer this question by considering how national regulations are being implemented at sub-national levels. Responses should consider the highest, non-national level(s) as appropriate to the country. In the status description, please explain which level(s) are included in the response.
5This question has replaced question 1.2d from the baseline survey instrument, which was for federal countries only.
2. Institutions and Participation Section
6‘Government authorities’ could be a ministry or ministries, or other organizations/institutions/agencies/bodies with a mandate and funding from government.
7Relates to coordination between the government authorities responsible for water management and those responsible for other sectors (such as agriculture, energy, climate, environment etc.) that are dependent on water, or impact on water. Coordination between groundwater and surface water development/management should also be optimised. The relevant sectors should be considered according to their importance for the country.
8‘The public’ includes all interested parties who may be affected by any water resources issue or intervention. They include organizations, institutions, academia, civil society and individuals. They do not include government organizations. The private sector is addressed separately in the next question.
9Private sector includes for-profit businesses and groups. It does not include government or civil society. While this question is mainly focused at the national level, please respond at the level that is most relevant in the country context. Please explain this, including differences between implementation at different levels, in the ‘Status description’ field.
10IWRM capacity development: refers to the enhancement of skills, instruments, resources and incentives for people and institutions at all levels, to improve IWRM implementation. Capacity needs assessments are essential for effective and cost-effective capacity development. Capacity development programs should consider gender balance and disadvantaged/minority groups in terms of participation and awareness. Capacity development is relevant for many groups, including: local and central government, water professionals in all areas - both public and private water organisations, civil society, and in regulatory organisations. In this instance, capacity development may also include primary, secondary and tertiary education, and academic research concerning IWRM.
11At the basin/aquifer level, please include only the most important river basins, lake basins and aquifers for water supply or for other reasons. This question only refers to these basins/aquifers. These basins/aquifers likely cross-administrative borders, including state/provincial borders for federal countries. The basins may also cross national borders, but this question refers to management of the portions of basins within each country. Question 2.2e refers specifically to transboundary management of basins/aquifers shared by countries.
12Could be organization, committee, inter-ministerial mechanism or other means of collaboration for managing water resources at the basin level.
13‘The public’ includes all interested parties who may be affected by any water resources issue or intervention. They include organizations, institutions, academia, civil society and individuals. They do not include government organizations. The private sector is dealt with separately in question 2.1d.
14Examples of ‘local level’ include municipal level (e.g. cities, towns and villages), community level, basin/tributary/aquifer/delta level, and water user associations.
15Vulnerable groups: groups of people that face economic, political, or social exclusion or marginalisation. They can include, but are not limited to: indigenous groups, ethnic minorities, migrants (refugees, internally displaced people, asylum seekers), remote communities, subsistence farmers, people living in poverty, people living in slums and informal settlements. Also referred to as ‘marginalised’ or ‘disadvantaged’ groups. While women are often included in definitions of ‘vulnerable groups’, in this survey gender issues are addressed separately in question 2.2d. The score given for this question should reflect the situation for the majority of the vulnerable groups. This question has been added since the baseline to capture an element of stakeholder participation which is important in the context of ‘leave no-one behind’ – one of the key principles of Agenda 2030.
16See gender discussion at beginning of section 2. Gender-responsive mechanisms can include laws, policies, plans, strategies or other frameworks or procedures aimed at achieving gender objectives related to women’s participation, voice and influence. Gender-responsive mechanisms may originate within the water sector or at a higher level, but if they are primarily addressed at a higher level, then there should be evidence of gender mainstreaming within the water sector to achieve scores in this question. In the baseline survey, national, sub-national, and transboundary levels were addressed in three separate questions. These questions have been merged into a single question, allowing countries to answer the question at the level which is most relevant in the national context. The situation at different levels can be explained in the ‘Status description’ cell, as appropriate.
17An organizational framework can include a joint body, mechanism, authority, committee, commission or other institutional arrangement. Refers to international basins/aquifers.
18Sub-national can include, but not limited to: provincial, state, county, local government areas, council. In this case, sub-national should not include basin/aquifer levels as this is dealt with in question 2.2a. Answer this question for the highest sub-national level(s) that are relevant in the country, and specify what these are.
19This question has replaced question 2.2f from the baseline survey, which was for federal countries only. This is in recognition of the fact that many countries have sub-national authorities for water resources management, even if they are not federal countries.
3. Management Instruments
20See definition of monitoring in Terminology
21Management instruments include demand management measures (e.g. technical measures, financial incentives, education and awareness raising to reduce water use and/or improve water-use efficiency, conservation, recycling and re-use), monitoring water use (including the ability to disaggregate by sector), mechanisms for allocating water between sectors (including environmental considerations).
22Includes regulations, water quality guidelines, water quality monitoring, economic tools (e.g. taxes and fees), water quality trading programs, education, consideration of point and non-point (e.g. agricultural) pollution sources, construction and operation of wastewater treatment plants, watershed management.
23Water-related ecosystems include rivers, lakes and aquifers, as well as wetlands, forests and mountains. Management of these systems includes tools such as management plans, the assessment of Environmental Water Requirements (EWR), and protection of areas and species. Monitoring includes measuring extent and quality of the ecosystems over time.
24‘Management instruments’ can cover: understanding disaster risk; strengthening disaster risk governance; investing in disaster risk reduction; and enhancing disaster preparedness. ‘Impacts’ include social impacts (such as deaths, missing persons, and number of people affected) and economic impacts (such as economic losses in relation to GDP). ‘Water-related disasters’ include disasters that can be classified under the following: Hydrological (flood, landslide, wave action); Meteorological (convective storm, extratropical storm, extreme temperature, fog, tropical cyclone); and Climatological (drought, glacial lake outburst, wildfire).
25Basin and aquifer management: involves managing water at the appropriate hydrological scale, using the surface water basin or aquifer as the unit of management. This may involve basin and aquifer development, use and protection plans. It should also promote multi-level cooperation, and address potential conflict among users, stakeholders and levels of government. To achieve ‘Very high (100)’ basin and aquifer management scores, surface and groundwater management should be integrated.
26Includes more formal data and information sharing arrangements between users, as well as accessibility for the general public, where appropriate.
4. Financing
27Allocations of funding for water resources may be included in several budget categories or in different investment documents. Respondents are thus encouraged to examine different sources for this information. When assessing the allocations respondents should take account of funds from government budgets and any co-funding (loans or grants) from other sources such as banks or donors.
28Infrastructure includes ‘hard’ structures such as dams, canals, pumping stations, flood control, treatment works etc., as well as ‘soft’ infrastructure and environmental measures such as catchment management, sustainable drainage systems etc. For this survey do not include infrastructure for drinking water supply or sanitation services. Budgets should cover initial investments and recurrent costs of operation and maintenance.
29‘IWRM elements’ refers to all the activities described in sections 1, 2 and 3 of this survey that require funding, e.g. policy, law making and planning, institutional strengthening, coordination, stakeholder participation, capacity building, and management instruments such as research and studies, gender and environmental assessments, data collection, monitoring etc.
30Infrastructure includes ‘hard’ structures such as dams, canals, pumping stations, flood control, treatment works etc., as well as ‘soft’ infrastructure and environmental measures such as catchment management, sustainable drainage systems etc. For this survey do not include infrastructure for drinking water supply or sanitation services. Budgets should cover initial investments and recurrent costs of operation and maintenance.
31For ‘IWRM elements’, see above footnote. Level: revenues are likely to be raised from users at the local, basin, or aquifer levels, though may also be raised at other sub-national or national levels (please indicate which level(s) in the status description). Revenue raising can occur through public authorities or private sector, e.g. through fees, charges, levies, taxes and ‘blended financing’ approaches. E.g. dedicated charges/levies on water users (including household level if revenues are spent on IWRM elements); abstraction & bulk water charges; discharge fees; environmental fees such as pollution charges, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes; and the sale of secondary products and services.
32In this question “Member States (MS)” refers to riparian countries that are parties to the arrangement. “Contributions” refers to the annual share of funds agreed from MS national budgets to support the agreed TB cooperation arrangement. Regular funds obtained from for example, water user fees (e.g. hydropower charges) and polluter-pays fees based on existing regulation are also considered as sustainable funding. As variable and unsustainable, donor support should not be considered in the scoring, but may be referred to in the ‘Status description’ and ‘Way forward’ fields.
33‘IWRM elements’ refers to all the activities described in sections 1, 2 and 3 of this survey that require funding, e.g. policy, law making and planning, institutional strengthening, coordination, stakeholder participation, capacity building, and management instruments such as research and studies, gender and environmental assessments, data collection, monitoring etc. This question has been added since the baseline survey, acknowledging the importance of funding being available at more ‘operational’ levels.
IWRM Scoring details as follows:
Very high 91-100: Vast majority of IWRM elements fully implemented and objectives consistently achieved.
High 71-90: Objectives of programmes generally met, stakeholder engagement generally good.
Medium-high 51-70: Capacity to implement IWRM elements under long-term programmes generally adequate.
Medium-low 31-50: Elements of IWRM generally institutionalized, and implementation underway.
Low 11-30: Implementation of some elements of IWRM begun, but potentially low stakeholder engagement.
Very low 0-10: Development of IWRM elements generally not begun, or stalled.
SDG 6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation is reported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
SDG 6.6.1 Change in the extent of water related ecosystems over time, tracks changes to water-related ecosystems (lakes, rivers, wetlands, groundwater). The indicator incorporates satellite-based earth observations data. Data is validated by the EPA against their own methodologies and datasets. This methodology is not routinely applied by state agencies in Ireland so it was not possible to validate the data directly.
SDG 6.a.1 Amount of water and sanitation related official development assistance that is part of a government coordinated spending plan is reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs - recent data is in the Irish Aid Annual Report 2023.
SDG 6.b.1 Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management information is from the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO).
The population in each county in Ireland from the results of the Census of Population 2022 are as follows:
| Northern & Western NUTS2 Region | Southern NUTS2 Region | Eastern & Midland NUTS2 Region | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NUTS3 Regions |
Border | Cavan Donegal Leitrim Monaghan Sligo |
Mid-West | Clare Limerick Tipperary |
Dublin | Dublin City Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Fingal South Dublin |
| South-East | Carlow Kilkenny Waterford Wexford |
Mid-East | Kildare Louth Meath Wicklow |
|||
| West | Galway Mayo Roscommon |
South-West | Cork Kerry |
Midland | Laois Longford Offaly Westmeath |
|
All indicators data are classified by the IAEG-SDGs into three tiers based on their level of methodological development and the availability of data at the global level.
Tier Classification Criteria/Definitions:
Tier 1: Indicator is conceptually clear, has an internationally established methodology and standards are available, and data are regularly produced by countries for at least 50 per cent of countries and of the population in every region where the indicator is relevant.
Tier 2: Indicator is conceptually clear, has an internationally established methodology and standards are available, but data are not regularly produced by countries.
Tier 3: No internationally established methodology or standards are yet available for the indicator, but methodology/standards are being (or will be) developed or tested.
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