Jakarta (ANTARA) - The UN Secretary-General\u2019s Special Envoy for Water\nIssues, Retno Marsudi, stated that climate change is causing all human\nchallenges to worsen, including the water crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate change is a threat multiplier that can exacerbate all\nchallenges faced regarding water issues,\u201d Retno said during the\nIndonesia Net Zero Summit (INZS) 2026 in Jakarta on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Retno emphasised that water is not merely a technical and sectoral\nissue that needs addressing, but is also a political and comprehensive\ndevelopmental issue. She noted that water issues can be addressed\nthrough acceleration, specifically by speeding up the implementation of\nSustainable Development Goal (SDG) number six, which focuses on clean\nwater and proper sanitation.<\/p>\n
According to her, to achieve the SDGs by 2030, Indonesia requires an\neightfold increase from the current progress level for safe drinking\nwater management, a sixfold increase for safe sanitation, and a twofold\nincrease for basic hygiene services. \u201cIf we do not do this, the targets\nfor SDG number six will only be achieved by 2049,\u201d Retno remarked.<\/p>\n
Secondly, Indonesia needs to engage in cooperation to handle water\nissues, Retno said, stating that collaboration to achieve the SDGs must\ninvolve the government, the private sector, civil society, and all\nstakeholders. Retno noted that the private sector plays a vital role in\nexpanding access to water services for the community, adding that\ncurrently, approximately 86 per cent of water and sanitation sector\nfinancing comes from public budgets.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the existing financing for water and sanitation comes from\npublic budgets, 86 per cent from the public budget, while the private\nsector contributes only 2 per cent,\u201d Retno added, noting that this\nsituation demonstrates the need for increased private sector involvement\nin financing.<\/p>\n
She also stated that the principle of collaboration must be applied\nin climate action efforts, particularly to achieve net-zero emission\ntargets, emphasising that challenges related to water and climate change\nrequire cooperation from all parties.<\/p>\n
At the INZS 2026, Retno revealed that more than 2.2 billion people,\nor one in four people worldwide, do not yet have access to safe drinking\nwater, while 3.5 billion people, or four in ten people, lack access to\nproper sanitation. The scale of this crisis is exacerbated by the fact\nthat approximately 4 billion people, or one in two people in the world,\nexperience water scarcity, with renewable freshwater availability per\ncapita having dropped by about 7 per cent in just the last decade.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, challenges are projected to become even more severe as\nthe global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050,\nrequiring an additional 50 per cent of food and more than 25 per cent\nadditional water to meet demand. Retno highlighted that 72 per cent of\nadditional freshwater is used for the agricultural sector, meaning that\nfood security, the economy, health, and education ultimately depend on\nthe availability of increasingly limited water resources.<\/p>\n
The expansion of artificial intelligence and digital transformation\nalso adds to the burden, with projections of an additional water\nrequirement of up to 129 per cent in various regions, while 40 per cent\nof the world\u2019s data centres are located in areas with high water stress\nlevels.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/retno-water-crisis-worsening-due-to-climate-change-1785570977", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }