Access to clean drinking water and sanitation – still the most important factor for development. Those countries with large portions of population that lack access to safe water and sanitation show slower economic growth than those that have it. Unsafe water and sanitation is the cause of one tenth of all cases of sickness globally.
In some regions the challenges are enormous; every day half of all the sick beds in sub-Saharan Africa are taken up by a person suffering from a water related disease. Important progress has been made globally in increasing access to improved drinking-water sources and improved sanitation facilities since 1990. However, a closer look at the situation shows disparities between regions, between countries in a region, and within countries between rural, urban and peri-urban settings and between socio-economic groups. For example, urban populations have increased by 53 per cent since 1990, but access to urban sanitation grew by only 2 per cent, leaving 700 million more urban dwellers unserved.
Resolutions adopted by the United Nations in 2010 and 2011 recognise access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right. While several nations have implemented this right and worked pro-actively to increase water and sanitation coverage, some nations still have chosen not to recognise this right.
How far away are we from a future where access to safe water and sanitation is a reality for everyone?
Angles to take:
- Who pays for water and sanitation supply?
- There are numerous new and innovative technologies and strategies for water and sanitation services that show great potential. Are these the technologies for tomorrow, and can they be up-scaled?
- How useful are international goals and targets to spur progress?
- Are we using the right indicators and evaluation methods?