Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Thailand

Progress on achieving SDG 6

The country reports that the proportion of household able to access clean drinking water rising from 97% in 2012 to 99.5% in 2019. Government efforts to provide clean water for villages without existing plumbing systems have been successful, with the number of such villages reduced from 7,321 to 169.

The quality of water available remains a challenge. Data from the Ministry of Public Health’s Report on Drinking Water Quality from 2009-2019 showed that only 40.8% of water available to households was appropriate for consumption. 43.7% of water in households needed further treatment before consumption, while a further 15.5% comprised water that had been contaminated by chemicals above the recommended limit. Further studies have also shown that 59.2% of water used in households was not of the required standard.

In terms of access to clean water and the disposal of human waste according to sanitation standards, data from 2019 shows that 89% of household members in Thailand had access to a designated hand-washing facility and that 97.1% had access to toilets without having to share.

Furthermore, population growth and an increasing number of tourists, along with inadequate drainage systems, have resulted in surface water sources of poorer quality. In 2018, the %age of water from such sources at the required quality stood at 9% but deteriorated to 82%. The %age of water sources of poor quality doubled from 9% in 2018 to 18% in 2019.

Furthermore, Thailand has experienced droughts 3 times in the past 5 years in 2015, 2019, and 2020.

The country’s continued economic and social growth, coupled with the transition towards industrial agriculture, has increased Thailand’s water needs. As such, the Thai Government has pursued integrated implementation of SDG6 in four main ways: (1) the Development of the Masterplan on Water Resources Management (2018-2037) as the country’s roadmap on this issue; (2) the establishment of the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) as the focal point for all relevant agencies; (3) the passing of the Water Resources Act (2018) as the main piece of legislation encompassing work in this area; and (4) the promotion of technology, knowledge, and innovation with regards to water resources management in the country.

Read the full report here: VNR Thailand 

 

*The information reflected on this page has been taken directly from the official VNR received from this Member State. The information does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations.

FacebookTwitterLinkedIn