The report proposes a comprehensive assessment of water stress in the Pisco river basin using an integrated hydrological model developed using WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning) system. This initiative has been carried out in collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the National Water Authority (ANA) of Peru, and is part of the disaggregated monitoring of SDG indicator 6.4.2: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources, taking into account environmental flow requirements.

A comprehensive assessment of the water cycle, including potential water stress situations at both national and sub-national levels, is vital. Such evaluations provide essential data for policymakers and stakeholders, supporting informed decision-making and effective planning.

Twelve African countries — Botswana, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe — are meeting from 15 to 17 July 2025 in Nairobi for the Multi-stakeholder workshop on monitoring and reporting of SDG 6.4 Target (Water use and scarcity) in Africa, organized by AQUASTAT and IMI-SDG6.

FAO has unveiled two critical progress reports on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators – 6.4.1 “Change in water-use efficiency” and 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”, for which FAO is the custodian agency. The reports are now also available in French and Spanish.

Within the European Union, agriculture accounts for 32% of the water withdrawals and 59% of water consumption. This sector must meet the challenge of food security without compromising water security which is essential to its sustainability. However, the impacts of climate change are reducing ...

A new publication, 'Incorporating environmental flows into 'water stress' Indicator 6.4.2: the role of the environmental management class in the estimation of environmental flow requirements' is available online. Understanding the concept of environmental management class and learning how to determine it is needed to assess the environmental flow and to calculate the level of water stress, so being crucial to manage water resources sustainably while allowing enough water for human needs.

AQUASTAT, FAO’s global information system on water and agriculture, was launched in the 1990s as a cornerstone of FAO’s water programme. Over the past three decades, it has provided comprehensive, reliable and up-to-date data and information on water resources use and management worldwide. AQUASTAT has evolved into a globally recognised system used as a reference for policymakers, researchers and organisations. The success of AQUASTAT is built on a strong collaboration with Member Countries that play a crucial role in collecting and sharing data.

The ability to generate accurate values for environmental flows is essential in the efforts of sustainable water management to maintain healthy ecosystems and preserve biodiversity while ensuring the water supply capacity needed for food production and other human needs.  

Four water basin authority organizations meet in Nouakchott, Mauritania to discuss experiences from assessing environmental flows and from spatial disaggregation of the water stress level elaborated by The Senegal River Basin Development Authority (OMVS) in collaboration with FAO.

 

A multi-country workshop on assessment of environmental flows and the disaggregation of the level of water stress by river basin and sub-basin is taking place in Lima, Peru from 4 to 6 February 2025. It brings together six countries: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru.

FAO's Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 (IMI-SDG6) works together with Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) to assess environmental flow requirements and to disaggregate SDG indicator 6.4.2 (level of water stress) by basin and sub-basin. The aim is to strengthen the integrated and sustainable management of water resources in the Senegal River Basin.

FAO has unveiled two critical progress reports on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators – 6.4.1 “Change in water-use efficiency” and 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”, for which FAO is the custodian agency. Both indicators are critical for agricultural productivity and resilience, as well as for food security, ecosystem balance, and enhanced climate resilience.

A training workshop focused on SDG indicators 6.4.1 (Change in water-use efficiency) and 6.4.2 (Level of water stress) took place in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and brought together professionals from the national institutions involved in data collection, processing and reporting processes. The workshop was organized in collaboration of AQUASTAT and the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 (IMI-SDG6) of the Land and Water Division of FAO.

A three-day capacity development workshop was held in Baghdad, Iraq, from 21–23 October 2024, organized by the Government of Iraq and the FAO Iraq office, with support from AQUASTAT and the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 (IMI-SDG6). The aim was to enhance institutional capac...

A three-day training workshop focused on SDG indicators 6.4.1 (Change in water-use efficiency) and 6.4.2 (Level of water stress) is taking place in San Salvador. It brings together professionals from the national institutions involved in data collection, processing and reporting processes. The workshop is organized in collaboration of AQUASTAT and the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 (IMI-SDG6) that are both located in the Land and Water Division of FAO.

The 3rd edition of the Rome Water Dialogue will be held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 14 to 18 October 2024, as part of the annual World Food Forum. Since its launch in 2022, the Rome Water Dialogue has served as a critical platform for advancing collaboration on Integrated Water Resources Management, in particular bringing the water and agricultural sectors together for concerted actions. With climate change intensifying water scarcity and threatening global food production, this year’s discussions are more important than ever.

A new publication under the series “SDG 6.4 Monitoring Sustainable Use of Water Resources” is online. It examines the status in the voluntary national reviews (VNR) of SDG 6 in general, and the target 6.4 indicators in particular. It assesses their significance in the reporting process both on the national and subregional scale. The review aims to provide information to support the improvement of the VNR process and the VNR reports to strengthen accountability around the achievement of SDG target 6.4. Find out more on “Considerations on how SDG target 6.4 is reflected in Voluntary National Reviews”.

The IMI-SDG6 team and the National Water Authority (ANA) Peru have started a new collaboration on implementing the disaggregation of the SDG 6.4.2 indicator at sub-basin level in two pilot river basins, Rio Pisco and Mishquiyacu. A technical mission to support the ANA's team is taking place from 15 to 19 July 2024.