Clean Water and Sanitation: Kicking (Sustainable Development) Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 objectives that we can work on together to improve the quality of life for all people, and support the planet at the same time.

We've been looking at an SDG a week, and finding examples of JCU research or activity which supports that SDG.

SDG 6 is Clean Water and Sanitation, and seeks to "ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all".

According to the 2017 Sustainable Infrastructure Report in the State of the Tropics, close to 20% of people in the Tropics struggle to access sources of clean water. The report cites "clean water and sanitation" (along with access to clean, reliable and affordable energy) as something that can "help reduce poverty and hunger, improve health outcomes and wellbeing, promote access to education, and assist in realising gender equality".

A 2018 article by JCU Public Health lectures and researchers (in collaboration with researchers from other institutions) highlights the inter-connectivity between clean water, education, gender equality and support for people with disabilities:

Redman-MacLaren M, Barrington DJ, Harrington H, Cram D, Selep J, MacLaren D. Water, sanitation and hygiene systems in Pacific Island schools to promote the health and education of girls and children with disability: a systematic scoping review. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. 2018;8(3):386-401. doi:10.2166/washdev.2018.274.

The lead author, Michelle Redman-MacLaren, is a public health researcher who uses a culturally respectful approach to facilitate positive health outcomes. She works with Indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander groups and strives to "decolonise" public health research in these fields. You can find her publications in ResearchOnline. Her JCU-based coauthors with papers in ResearchOnline are Humpress Harrington and David MacLaren, two researchers who also have a strong focus on public health in the Pacific region.