By Miguel Wilches Fonseca
super líder agua

Promoting Sustainable Water Management: The Role of Cataruben Foundation's Carbon Projects in Achieving SDG 6

The United Nations highlights the risks posed by water stress and degradation. Cataruben Foundation aligns with SDG 6 to ensure sustainable water management and sanitation for all. They aim to improve water quality in households, promote efficient water use in farms, and enhance wastewater management. Sustainable water management practices are critical for the success of carbon projects, as they can increase carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve soil health. This highlights the need for effective water management practices in achieving sustainable development and addressing global challenges.According to the United Nations in their book "The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022," water is fundamental to many other aspects of sustainable development and is at risk. The demand for water is increasing due to rapid population growth, urbanization, and growing pressure from agriculture, industry, and the energy sector. Decades of misuse, poor management, overexploitation, and pollution of freshwater and groundwater reserves have exacerbated water stress and degraded water-related ecosystems. This, in return, affects human health, economic activities, and the supply of food and energy.

Taking into account the above, The carbon projects in the Cataruben Foundation, for instance, are aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG 6), ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG 12), Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG 13) and protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss (SDG 15).With the (SDG 6), we contribute to bring better conditions of water to the farmers, with many tools for cleaning water and tech about the correct and efficient use of water, also we recommend activities for the correct management of wastewater and sanitation in the houses.

The proportion of the global population using safely managed drinking water services increased from 70% in 2015 to 74% in 2020. However, 2 billion people lacked these services that year, including 1.2 billion people who did not even have a basic level of service. In the same way, Eight out of 10 people without basic drinking water services live in rural areas. At the current rate of progress, the world will achieve 81% coverage by 2030, meaning the target would not be met and 1.6 billion people would be left without access to safely managed drinking water.1 For this reason, it's important to include water treatment activities to improve the quality of water for human consumption. Additionally, collecting water from alternative sources such as rain and storing them in reserve tanks can help conserve water in the environment. These practices can be implemented in the farms of carbon projects, contributing towards achieving SDG 6.

From 2015 to 2020, the global population using safely managed sanitation services increased from 47% to 54%. If historical rates of progress are maintained, the world will reach 67% coverage by 2030, leaving 2.8 billion people without access.1 that is far away from the goal of 100% of safely managed sanitation services, for this, Cataruben creates activities to diagnose the conditions of sanitation services in farms, in order to identify actions to improve sanitation conditions. This is done through training sessions emphasizing the importance of having proper septic systems and toilets in households to mitigate infections from wastewater. The training also covers wastewater treatment and the correct use of wastewater discharge to avoid environmental impact.

Water is an essential resource for sustainable biodiversity, as it plays a crucial role in the conservation of carbon sinks and the generation of biomass. Without it, many biological processes, including photosynthesis, would not be possible. Therefore, carbon projects need to prioritize effective water management activities that ensure the availability and sustainable management of water resources. These activities not only contribute to sustainable development goals but also reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production.

Sustainable water management practices are particularly important for carbon sequestration because wetlands are significant carbon sinks that capture a lot of CO2. Similarly, rivers take biomass and include it in the soil, which helps prevent the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Watershed management practices, such as reforestation, conservation of wetlands, and riverbank stabilization, can increase carbon sequestration and reduce erosion. This, in turn, improves water quality, prevents soil degradation, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with land-use change

Sustainable agriculture practices, such as conservation tillage, crop rotation, and cover crops, can also contribute to carbon sequestration by improving soil health and reducing the amount of carbon released from the soil. This increases the carbon storage capacity of agricultural land, contributing to carbon sequestration. Overall, sustainable water and land management practices are crucial for the success of carbon projects, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.

In conclusion, the United Nations has identified water stress and degradation as a significant global risk, and sustainable water management practices are crucial for achieving sustainable development and addressing global challenges. The Cataruben Foundation is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The Foundation promotes sustainable water management practices such as improving water quality in households, promoting efficient water use in farms, and enhancing wastewater management. Such practices are essential for the success of carbon projects, as they can increase carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve soil health. Sustainable water and land management practices are crucial for the success of carbon projects and can help to promote the sustainable use of natural resources and combat climate change.

References
United Nations. (2022). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022. Obtenido de https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2022.pdf