22 March 2011 marks the 18th United Nations World Day for Water. This year World Water Day calls attention to the impact of urbanisation, industrialisation and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.
Access to a safe supply of water for drinking, bathing and cooking is vital to health, dignity and maintaining a livelihood. Yet the latest data from the World Health Organization and UNICEF estimates that 884 million people do not use improved sources of drinking water and almost 40 per cent of the world's population, or 2.6 billion people, do not use improved sanitation. The majority of these people live in South Asia, followed by Eastern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Australian aid program in water, sanitation and hygiene is striving to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target7c: reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. For the water component the world is on track to achieve this. In urban areas, over 1 billion more people now use an improved source of drinking water compared to 1990. But due to rapid urban growth, this increase is barely keeping up with population growth.
The MDG sanitation target has not experienced the same success. Although
1.3 billion people have gained access to improved sanitation since 1990, the world is still likely to miss the target by a billion people. While only three out of ten people without adequate sanitation live in urban areas, the number of people living in urban areas without improved sanitation is increasing because of rapid urban growth. This is often exacerbated by the move from rural areas to informal settlements in cities.
As a result of AusAID's ongoing work in this sector, 600,000 additional people have obtained access to safe water and an additional 400,000 people have secured access to basic sanitation in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands.
The Australian Government is committed to achieving sustainable results in clean water and effective sanitation as it is an important factor in many aspects of human development. It is essential for a healthy population and environmental sustainability. It is also integral to help achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals.
More information
World Water Day [external website]
Joint monitoring programme for water supply and sanitation [external website]
What AusAID is doing