SDG 6 Country Acceleration Case Study: Czechia 2024

Country Acceleration Case Studies

To accelerate the achievement of SDG 6 targets as part of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework, UN-Water is developing SDG 6 Country Acceleration Case Studies to explore countries’ pathways to achieving accelerated progress on SDG 6 at the national level. The case studies document replicable good practices for achieving the SDG 6 targets as well as look at how progress can be accelerated across SDG 6 targets in a country.

Three countries are selected every year, starting in 2022. The selection of the case study countries is based on country progress reporting on the SDG 6 global indicators. The case studies highlight achievements and describe processes, enabling conditions and key lessons learned in countries selected for their progress on SDG 6. For 2024, selected countries for case studies are Cambodia, Czechia and Jordan.

Read about how Czechia has managed to improve on all SDG 6 indicators through a long tradition of water management planning and sustainable water tariff practices.

Executive summary

Czechia’s water and sanitation has been steadily improving since the 1990s and the country is making progress on all SDG 6 indicators. 98 per cent of the population now have access to safely managed drinking water and 89 per cent have access to safely managed sanitation. SDG 6 targets on drinking water and transboundary cooperation can be considered achieved. The key factors and drivers identified include:

• Municipalities are aware of the importance of water. SDG 6 ranks first among the SDGs in terms of importance for Czech municipalities. At the municipal level, elections can be won by committing to water.
• There is a long tradition of water management planning. River Basin Management Plans and Flood Risk Management Plans are updated once every six years. Public consultation during drafting of the plans is mandatory. Projects need to comply to receive funding.
• There is a strong legal basis. Czechia adopted comprehensive legislation and is equipped with a well-developed system of technical standards and certified methodologies for water management and water protection. The legal basis was enriched with the acquis communautaire when the country acceded to the European Union (EU) in 2004.
• Investment policy evolves progressively. Subsidies for the deployment of wastewater treatment used to be limited to municipalities of over 2,000 inhabitants. In 2010, subsidies started to be directed to smaller agglomerations, where infrastructure development was also desirable.
• There is strong public investment with co-funding from the EU. For water supply and sanitation, most of the expenditure comes from household contributions and government spending from state and municipal budgets. In poorer areas, this is complemented by transfers from the EU.
• Water tariffs are sustainable and socially responsible. The combination of higher tariffs and low consumption represents a strong incentive to fight against leaks and other forms of water losses. As a result, water consumption has reduced and is relatively low. The level of affordability for households is good.
• Reports on water management are published on a regular basis. Every year, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment jointly produce and publish the “Blue Report” on water management.
  It contains all key information about water resources in the country.
• Key information about water is collected and accessible online. The 2001 Water Act specifies the datasets that need to be collected and who is responsible for them. There is an online portal that allows comparison of data across time and location and includes illustrative comments that provide an explanatory narrative alongside the data.
• Grey infrastructure and nature-based solutions are combined. The use of both technical and nature-based solutions has reduced the risk of flooding since 2010.
• There is cooperation with neighbouring countries, through river basin organizations and in the framework of the UN. Regular expert meetings about technical issues help to build trust and a spirit of shared responsibility.