United Nations set a Sustainable Development Goal to provide clean water for everyone (SDG 6). The successful implementation of SDG 6 is still miles to go. Public awareness’s role as a key factor in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 is vital but received less attention from researchers in the past. To understand the role of public awareness and other relevant factors in achieving SDG 6, we have collected a cross‐sectional dataset from a developing country and applied a partial least square structural equation modelling approach. The results revealed that willingness to pay for clean water, social influence, and facilities provided by the government, public awareness, and knowledge about contaminated water positively influence the households’ intentions to use clean water. We also found that public awareness partially mediates relationships. Study results have useful policy implications for governments, NGOs, and other stakeholder organizations working on achieving SDG 6 in developing countries.