Water and services provided are at the basis of economic growth, people’s wellbeing and environmental sustainability. Constant and timely monitoring and interventions are essential to develop adequate resource management strategies, as promoted in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals of the (SDGs), in particular Goals 6 (“Ensure access to water and sanitation for all”) and 14 (“Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources”).
On the occasion of the World Water Day, established by the United Nations and celebrated on 22 March, Istat provides an annual focus that, through a multi-source approach, presents the results of its several surveys and elaborations, thus offering an integrated reading of the phenomenon with reference to the aspects linked both to the territory and to the population.
Main results
- Italy ranks first in the EU for water abstraction for public water supply: 428 litres per person per day
- In 2015, just under half the water abstracted from sources (47.9%) did not reach end users, due to leakages in supply system.
- In 2017, rationing measures in the public water supply were adopted in 11 provincial or metropolitan capital cities, mostly in the South and Islands area.
- Low-quality coastal bathing waters in 2017 were just 0.8% of the monitored coast. Urban wastewater discharges were the main cause of bathing bans.
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