Our Scans · (LF.6) Clean Water and Sanitation · Weekly Summary

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In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 6. Ensure availability of water and sanitation for all.

• [New] Water scarcity As freshwater scarcity grows in markets around the world - and demand for water increases for semiconductor manufacturing and cooling data centers - more water rights conflicts will arise. EY
• [New] By resin type, the water-based resin segment is expected to have the largest revenue share from 2025 to 2034. Precedence Research
• [New] Exxon plans to have a fully operational treatment facility by the end of 2026 as part of its goal to deliver sustainable water solutions for the Permian. Insurance Journal
• [New] The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said in an emailed response to questions that it will not allow treatment plants to discharge wastewater that is dangerous to aquatic life, violates state water quality standards, endangers drinking supplies or threatens human health. Insurance Journal
• [New] Iranian affiliated hackers hit public infrastructure like water facilities, exploiting PLC vulnerabilities to demonstrate they could disrupt physical processes. DeepStrike
• [New] A Ukrainian woman accused of hacking US public drinking water systems and a meat processing facility on behalf of Kremlin-backed cyber groups was extradited to the US earlier in 2025 and will stand trial in early 2026. The Register
• [New] The water transport segment is expected to contract by 4.7% in 2025 and by 0.1% in 2026. / USA atradius
• [New] By around 2030, the probability of a water shortage event is estimated at roughly 1%, rising to about 5% by 2050 as climate change and water demand increase. FoxesSellFaster.com
• [New] Researchers project a roughly 17% increase in water usage by 2050 for the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia region. FoxesSellFaster.com
• [New] The risk that available water will not meet regional demand reaches about 1% by 2030. FoxesSellFaster.com
• [New] Under the stress of climate change, population growth, and rising industrial demand, particularly from data centers, the Potomac River may no longer be able to meet the drinking water needs of the DC region during a severe drought by 2030. FoxesSellFaster.com
• [New] A one-megawatt data center could consume up to 25.5 million liters of water each year just for cooling, comparable to the daily water use of about 300,000 people. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] The United Nations Environment Programme has stressed that data centers consume large amounts of energy and water, and we know that consumption is only going to grow around the world. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] Extreme weather events such as storm surges, rising sea levels, and saltwater intrusion, along with rising water-related disasters, threaten the region, which already accounts for more than 40% of the world's floods. Al Jazeera
• [New] Governments currently meet only 40% of the estimated $4 trillion in investment, or roughly $250 billion annually, in funding needed for water and sanitation from 2025-2040. Boston Herald
• [New] Asia accounts for 41% of global flooding and its coastal megacities and Pacific islands face mounting threats from storm surges, rising sea levels and salty water pushing inland. Boston Herald
• [New] Asian nations will need $4 trillion for water and sanitation between 2025 and 2040 - $250 billion a year, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released Monday. Boston Herald
• [New] Europe is facing increasing water scarcity, water quality degradation, and climate-related threats to both human well-being and economic competitiveness. EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
• Approximately 50% of Iran's population could soon face a shortage of drinking water. Caliber.az
• Iran's water crisis is affecting the Iranian regime's ability to provide electricity to its citizens, which could eventually lead to domestic unrest. Critical Threats
• The UK could face a national shortfall of nearly five billion liters of water per day by 2055. Yahoo News UK
• By 2050, decarbonization in the UK will require an additional 860 million liters of water per day. Yahoo News UK
• Without urgent action, the high water demands of industrial decarbonization could outpace supply in key regions as soon as 2030. Yahoo News UK

Last updated: 15 December 2025