Providing clean water and sanitation: the greatest global challenge

Millions of the world’s most vulnerable people face a daily battle to get enough clean water. However, water scarcity is not caused by insufficient water: power and inequality influence who has access to this precious resource.

Today, 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation. This affects many aspects of human development. The 2006 Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme analyses water scarcity and suggests future actions to ensure water access for everyone.

Not everyone in developing countries experiences water scarcity. In high-income areas, people enjoy access to several hundred litres of water a day, delivered by public utilities at low prices. In low-income areas, however, many poor households have much less than the 20 litres of water that humans need every day. This inequality exists in many countries and can cause wider social problems and unrest. It also undermines everyone’s basic human right to clean, safe water and sanitation.

Water insecurity affects many aspects of human development, particularly health. At any given time, nearly half of all people living in developing countries suffer from health problems caused by a lack of clean water or sanitation. The research shows:

• Unclean water and poor sanitation are the second biggest cause of child deaths in the world - 1.8 million children die each year because of diarrhoea.
• Water-related illnesses amongst children cause 443 million school days to be lost each year.
• Illness caused by poor quality water affects economic activity and causes a loss of productivity. The economies of countries in sub-Saharan Africa lose about US$28.4 billion annually due to water-related illness. This exceeds total aid flows and debt relief to the region.
• People need clean water and sanitation to maintain their personal dignity.
• Many women spend several hours every day collecting water, which reduces their time for other activities.
• Water sustains ecological systems and is a vital for many livelihoods, for example as an input for agriculture. Insufficient water can reduce poor people’s ability to earn an income.

What can change this situation? An increased international effort is needed, which must include both national strategies and global action plans. To be successful, these must have four basic conditions:

• The human right to water should be central to all national laws concerning water. This right must entitle everyone to a secure, accessible and affordable supply of water. A minimum of 20 litres of clean water a day for each citizen should be the target everywhere.
• All governments should prepare national plans for increasing progress in providing clean water and sanitation. These plans should include targets and funding plans. They should also include clear strategies for overcoming inequalities in access to water.
• International aid is needed to support national plans in developing countries. This financing requires coordination and monitoring through a global action plan.

Source(s):
‘Beyond scarcity: power, poverty and the global water crisis’ Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme, by Kevin Watkins, 2006 (PDF) Full document.

Funded by: UNDP

id21 Research Highlight: 27 April 2007

Further Information:
Kevin Watkins
Human Development Report Office
304 E. 45th Street, 12th Floor
New York 10017
USA

Tel: +1 212 9063661
Fax: +1 212 9063677
Contact the contributor: kevin.watkins@undp.org

United Nations Development Programme

Other related links:
'Predicting progress towards water and sanitation MDGs'

'Affordable water and sanitation technologies in small towns'

'Connecting people to water: the failure of the private sector'

See id21's links for water