Sustainable water management and local communities: strategies and case studies to achieve SDG 6 in Hungary

Abstract

Climate change affects all areas of our lives, especially the quality and quantity of water. The 6th goal of the Sustainable Development Gaols deals with problems affecting water, and among its goals, local communities are also given a significant role, just like in the European planning documents. These documents promote sustainable water management solutions that enable integrated and cost-effective interventions. In this paper, I am looking for the answer to how sustainable water management solutions can contribute to the fulfilment of SDG 6 and what effects they have on local communities. In addition to the relevant literature and document review, I conducted expert interviews with specialists who were already involved in such projects and I analyse three case studies with sustainable water management solutions. Results show that these solutions have a significant impact not only on the physical natural environment, but also on residents’ habits and they have a strong identity-forming role, so they are suitable to contribute to the fulfilment of SDG 6.