Access to clean water is a basic human right and essential for life. However, billions of people around the world lack access to safe drinking water. According to the United Nations, 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services. This means about 29% of the global population drinks water from polluted sources that pose health risks like cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. The situation is worse in Sub-Saharan Africa where over 60% lack basic drinking water services. Lack of clean water impacts health, food production, economics, education and women’s empowerment. Understanding how widespread this problem is helps motivate change.
What is the scope of the global water crisis?
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation is the official United Nations mechanism tasked with monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of achieving universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation. According to the JMP:
– 785 million people lack even a basic drinking water service. This means drinking water from an improved source within 30 minutes round trip.
– At least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces.
– 502,000 diarrheal deaths in 2016 were caused by unsafe drinking water.
– 1 in 3 people lack access to safe drinking water worldwide.
– Billions lack access to a safely managed drinking water service located on premises, available when needed and free from contamination.
– 80% of the global population (5.2 billion people) use a basic service. This means a drinking water source within 30 minutes round trip.
– 144 million people spend over 30 minutes per round trip to collect water.
– 159 million people still collect untreated surface water from lakes, rivers, ponds and streams.
– Least developed countries have the lowest coverage of basic services, at just 47%.
Which regions lack clean water access?
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa has the least access to clean drinking water in the world.
– Over 60% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack basic drinking water services.
– More than one in three people drink from unimproved water sources, including surface water.
– Women and girls in Africa bear the primary responsibility for water collection.
– 38% of health care facilities lack basic water services, impacting their ability to provide care.
Southern Asia and Eastern Asia
Southern Asia and Eastern Asia combined are home to the largest number of people lacking basic drinking water services.
– 1.1 billion people total lack basic drinking water services in these two regions. This is over half the global population without basic drinking water.
– India and China have the largest populations without access to clean water. Over 200 million people lack basic services in each country.
– Nearly half the population of Papua New Guinea lacks basic services. Other countries lacking services are Cambodia, Laos and Mongolia.
Latin America and the Caribbean
– Over 30 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean lack a basic drinking water service. The majority are in rural areas.
– Haiti and Nicaragua have the biggest gaps in basic drinking water services, at 38% and 30% lack basic services.
– Guatemala also has over 30% without basic drinking water access.
Conflict Zones and Fragile States
Conflict and instability have devasting impacts on access to clean water:
– 50% of people in fragile or conflict-affected states do not have basic drinking water services.
– In war-torn Yemen, over 15 million lack access to safe water.
– Access to water can exacerbate tensions and fuel conflicts in already unstable areas.
Rural and Poor Communities
Access to drinking water is worst among the rural poor:
– 8 out of 10 people without basic drinking water services live in rural areas.
– The rich are 16 times more likely to have safely managed water than the poor.
– Water availability is often tied to socio-economic status worldwide.
What causes so many to lack clean water access?
Several interlinking factors contribute to the global clean water crisis including:
Limited Infrastructure Investment
– Chronic underinvestment in water infrastructure like wells, pumps, pipes, and water treatment plants especially across Sub-Saharan Africa.
– Resources tend to cluster around cities and towns leaving rural areas underserved.
Water Scarcity
– Over 2 billion people live in countries facing high water stress with withdrawals greater than 80% of supply. This makes maintaining water access challenging.
– Droughts, climate change impacts, mismanagement and overextraction exacerbate water scarcity issues.
Rapid Urbanization
– Lagging water infrastructure development amid fast-paced population growth in cities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
– Unplanned peri-urban slums often lack drinking water access.
Inadequate Cooperation on Transboundary Waters
– Over 260 rivers and major lakes cross international borders, serving 145 countries. Inadequate cooperation on managing these waters impacts access for all parties.
– Pollution, diversions and dams in one nation reduce water quality and quantity available to downstream nations.
Sanitation Gap
– 2.3 billion people still lack basic sanitation. Open defecation and sewage runoff pollute drinking water sources.
– Contaminated drinking water is the leading cause of diarrheal disease, which prevents nutrient absorption.
Poverty
– The poorest people cannot afford in-house water connections, water treatment or alternatives when sources run dry.
– Women and children bear the burden of water collection in poor areas, impacting health, safety and education.
Weak Governance
– Corruption, lack of accountability, improper resource allocation and lack of integrity in public institutions prevents progress in some nations.
Conflict and Fragility
– Destabilized states struggle to maintain water infrastructure as a result of conflict or natural disaster. Yemen’s water networks were severely damaged during its ongoing war.
How does lack of clean water access impact health?
Drinking contaminated water causes serious health issues:
– Diarrheal disease accounts for over half the deaths linked to inadequate water and is a leading child killer. Other waterborne illnesses include cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio.
– Intestinal worms transmitted through unclean water stunt physical and mental growth in children. Over 800,000 deaths each year are linked to intestinal worms.
– Chemical pollutants in tainted water are linked to cancer, organ damage, painful skin issues and harm to the nervous system. Lead and arsenic poisoning often stem from contaminated water.
– Waterborne diseases like cholera and Guinea worm disease cause extreme pain and suffering. Patients are often unable to work or care for themselves.
– Unsafe water increases the risk and impacts of malnutrition. Frequent diarrhea prevents nutrient absorption even when food is available.
– Neglected tropical diseases including dengue fever, trachoma and schistosomiasis thrive in areas lacking clean water and proper sanitation.
– Healthcare costs from waterborne illness drain family incomes forcing deeper poverty.
– Carrying heavy loads of water can cause permanent spinal injury and bone deformation in women and children.
How does lack of water access impact food production?
– Agriculture accounts for 70% of global water withdrawals. When water is unavailable or contaminated, crop yields plummet.
– Over 50% of the world’s undernourished people live in South Asia or Africa where droughts frequently ravage crops and livestock.
– Poor farmers have the least resilience against droughts, floods or waterborne crop plagues that can wipe out entire harvests.
– Water scarcity leads to more intense competition for water between communities, economic sectors and nations.
– Runoff of pesticides, chemicals and untreated wastewater into rivers and lakes poisons fish populations that many poor people depend on for nutrition.
– Water shortages make forests and pastures more prone to fires in dry areas. Livestock and rural livelihoods are decimated when grazing areas burn up.
How does lack of water access impact economics?
– Reduced productivity from illness hampers GDP growth. By 2030 the United Nations estimates water scarcity could cost regions like Africa and Asia up to 6% of their GDP.
– Up to 40 billion working hours are lost each year from water collection. Access to water on premises can free up this time for work and education.
– Healthcare costs of treating waterborne illness diverts family and government funds from more productive investments.
– Hydropower accounts for over 16% of world electricity production. Droughts reduce water flow for dams lowering electricity available for homes and businesses.
– Inadequate clean water harms livestock health decreasing diary and meat production. Estimated losses just for Sub-Saharan Africa range from $5-30 billion yearly.
– Water scarcity diminishes manufacturing output for beverages, textiles, paper and many chemical, pharmaceutical and food products.
– Tourism revenue declines when droughts, inadequate water infrastructure or pollution make water recreation hazardous.
How does lack of water access impact education?
– Children miss school to walk for water for their families. Reduced classroom hours hamper learning and graduation rates.
– Intestinal worms from tainted drinking water cause micronutrient deficiencies that impair cognitive abilities. This harms school performance.
– Weakened health and energy from constant waterborne illness makes it difficult for children to concentrate and learn in school.
– Many schools in water-stressed regions lack adequate drinking water access or toilets. Absenteeism increases when children lack water for hydration, hygiene and sanitation needs.
How does lack of water access impact women?
Women and girls bear the primary responsibility of collecting water for their families in most developing regions:
– Women spend 300 million hours per day collecting water around the world. This is time not spent working, parenting or learning.
– Carrying over 5 gallons of water (20kg) long distances frequently leads to spinal damage and vulnerability to rape or harassment.
– School attendance for girls drops in water scarce regions as they are more likely pulled from school to gather water.
– Lack of menstrual hygiene management from inadequate water prevents girls from participating in school, work and society.
– When pumps or wells break down, cultural norms often prohibit women from fixing infrastructure leaving them dependent on men for repairs.
Conclusion
Over 2 billion people worldwide drink from contaminated water sources, risking their health, food security, economic development, education opportunities and women’s empowerment. Africa, Southern Asia, conflict zones and rural poor communities have the largest populations lacking access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation services. Causes include underinvestment in water infrastructure, scarcity, mismanagement and gaps in cooperation. The results are millions of preventable deaths each year from diarrheal disease, reduced school attendance, poor nutrition, and cycles of poverty worsened by healthcare costs and lost productivity from frequent illness. There are feasible solutions to the crisis, but political will, community participation and investment are vital to expand clean water access to all. The world simply cannot continue to turn a blind eye to so many being denied their basic human right to safe water.