What is "Clear Water and Sanitation"?
Ensuring universal access to clean water and adequate sanitation is a fundamental pillar of sustainable development. Although global progress has improved the availability of safe drinking water and hygiene facilities, billions of people particularly in rural and underserved regions still lack these essential services. Today, 1 in 3 people worldwide do not have access to safely managed drinking water, and 2 in 5 people lack basic hand-washing facilities. This global challenge underscores the urgency of building resilient water systems, strengthening wastewater treatment, and expanding community-wide access to clean water resources.
Yeditepe University integrates this global mission into its campus operations through a comprehensive, data-driven water management system. The University measures its entire water footprint, reporting 72,000 m³ of extracted and treated inbound water for a population of 21,854, and systematically reuses approximately 50,000 m³ of greywater annually for landscape irrigation and toilet flushing. An on-site biological wastewater treatment plant processes all wastewater generated in academic buildings, dormitories, and dining halls. All treated water is chlorinated, laboratory-tested, and reused in compliance with national water-quality regulations. To prevent pollution, the University maintains sealed wastewater networks, safe chemical-waste protocols in laboratories, emergency spill procedures, licensed disposal systems, and stormwater channels designed to avoid contaminated runoff.
Safe drinking water is accessible across all campus buildings through free water fountains and refill stations, with the Environmental Health and Safety Office conducting regular quality monitoring. Yeditepe also applies strict building and operational standards to minimise water consumption, including automatic drip irrigation, soil-moisture sensors, and the use of drought-tolerant native plants covering nearly 70% of landscaped areas. Through these measures, Yeditepe significantly reduces freshwater demand while enhancing biodiversity.
The University maintains a strong commitment to circular water use, tracking reused water volumes monthly and integrating these findings into institutional sustainability reports. Beyond campus borders, Yeditepe actively supports regional water conservation efforts through its YÜ-AGAM Research and Analysis Centre, which provides certified water-quality training, pollution-prevention workshops, irrigation education, and technical services to farmers, municipalities, and local producers. The University collaborates with Büyükçekmece Municipality and Ataşehir Municipality to develop joint environmental initiatives, strengthen community water resilience, and promote sustainable water governance.
Through campus-wide awareness campaigns, seminars, digital signage, and educational outreach, Yeditepe University fosters a culture of conscious water use both inside and beyond its campus. These integrated practices demonstrate a holistic institutional commitment to SDG 6, ensuring efficient water management, resilient ecological systems, and sustainable community development.
For a more detailed examination on how this particular goal is implemented within our campus, please visit Water Resources section of our sustainability report.
