Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Access to drinking water and sanitation is a human right and, together with water resources, a key determinant in all aspects of social, economic and environmental development. Besides access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, Goal 6 comprises additional targets such as protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems. Goal 6 aims to improve water quality and reduce water pollution, especially the type caused by hazardous chemicals. It also advocates cross-border cooperation as the key to managing water resources in an integrated fashion at all levels.
Source: www.eda.admin.ch/agenda2030 (edited)
Contributions of ETH Zurich (examples)
Within the framework of its core areas of research, education, campus and dialog with society, ETH Zurich contributes to Goal 6, for example, by the following activities:
Education on Water
ETH Zurich conducts intensive research and offers in-depth courses in the area of water – especially in cooperation with the external pageEawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. Examples of teaching include: Water Supply, Sanitation and Waste Infrastructure and Services in Developing Countries, Urban Water Management, or Cooperation and Conflict Over International Water Resources.
Without Water No Life
In 2019, the educational program Treffpunkt Science City was dedicated to the theme “Without Water No Life.” Free events made it possible to visit the world of research and talk about water (all links only available in German).
Research on Water
Research projects at the Institute of Environmental Engineering (IfE) and the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) make an important contribution to, amongst other things, the study of: hydrology, urban water management, groundwater, river engineering, glaciology and hydraulic engineering. At the Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics (IBP), many research and teaching programmes in the area of Aquatic Chemistry contribute to sustainable water management.
Lived Sustainability on Campus
Rain Water Usage on Campus
On its Hönggerberg Campus, ETH Zurich uses rainwater from existing rainwater tanks, for example for recooling or sanitary facilities in student residences. Further possible scenarios of rainwater use will be developed in the next years, for example for cleaning vehicles or irrigating green areas.