[7] However, only a few countries have written the human right to water into enforceable legislation creating serious problems for people wishing to use legal means to promote better access.

[8] Even in those countries, such as South Africa, with a clear constitutional commitment to the human right to water and sanitation it has proven difficult to obtain legal redress.

[9] In 2022, the OECD estimated that to achieve SDG 6, current global spending on water needs approximately $1 trillion per year.

"[14]: 8 The full title of Target 6.2 is: "By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.

Equitable sanitation and hygiene solutions address the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations, such as the elderly or people with disabilities.

[14]: 6 Ending open defecation will require the provision of toilets and sanitation for 2.6 billion people as well as behavior change of the population.

[14] To meet SDG targets for sanitation by 2030, nearly "a third of countries will need to accelerate progress to end open defecation, including Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan".

[17] Targets 6.1 and 6.2 are usually reported on together because they are both part of the WASH sector and have the same custodian agency, the Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP).

[14] In June 2019, the JMP released their 138-page report "Progress on household drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene 2000-2017: special focus on inequalities.

[18] By 2017, 6.8 billion people—representing 90% of the world's population—used "at least a basic service", which included "an improved drinking-water source within a round trip of 30 minutes to collect water".

[18] The report warned that diseases, including "diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio" are transmitted by contaminated water, which cause about 485, 000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.

[9] Target 6.3 is formulated as "By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally".

"[9] Target 6.6 is: "By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.

[15] Custodian agencies are in charge of reporting on the following indicators:[14][4] Climate change makes it harder to achieve SDG 6 Target 1 (universal access to safe drinking water).

[23] The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the ability of water utilities to meet SDG 6 by increasing losses on revenues that would otherwise be used to make investments.

According to the World Health Organization, handwashing is one of the most effective actions one can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including the COVID-19 virus.

[27] Implementation of the SDGs implies continuous monitoring and periodic evaluation to check whether the direction and pace of development are right.

[29] In April 2020, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Today, Sustainable Development Goal 6 is badly off track" and it “is hindering progress on the 2030 Agenda, the realization of human rights and the achievement of peace and security around the world".

[40][41] Global organizations such as Oxfam, UNICEF, WaterAid and many small NGOs as well as universities, research centers, private enterprises, government-owned entities etc.