Large-scale water quality

Ensuring good water quality in rivers is a major challenge for decades to come. Access to clean drinking water in sufficient quantity is one of the basic human needs, but is threatened by a variety of anthropogenic impacts. In its report "The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development" (UNITED NATIONS, 2015), the United Nations defines 17 goals to achieve a sustainable future for all. One of these sustainable development goals (SDG 6, Clean water and sanitation) is to "ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” (UNITED NATIONS, 2015). In defining this goal, the United Nations is calling for better and more equitable water quality conditions around the world. Water quality models for river systems can contribute to achieving this goal, because they offer the possibility to support water quality assessments in regions with a lower monitoring network density, to simulate future scenarios and to develop solutions.

References
UNITED NATIONS, 2015: Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. New York. 41pp.