Water stress can have devastating consequences for the environment and can hinder or even reverse economic and social development. While global water stress was at a relatively safe level of 18% in 2018, the world average masks huge regional variations. Regions affected by high water stress require urgent and concrete measures to save water and increase water use efficiency. Further disaggregation of water stress subnationally by water basin and sub-basins can provide insights and information for improving sustainable management of water resources. 

Water stress disaggregation is key for solving water management issues. Led by country-level technicians, this detailed view will offer better insights on the spatial aspects of water stress and will increase local ownership and participation in evaluating and developing strategies to decrease water stress. 

This brief presents a new PlugIn for the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) software to calculate water stress by catchment area. This tool, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with SEI, can help countries meet Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 6.4.2, which measures water stress as part of its greater mission to secure clean water and sanitation across the globe.