March 6, 2012
World meets drinking water target but progress on sanitation falls short

A mother and child at a WaterAid water point in Mali.

WaterAid / Layton Thompson

New York, NY, March 6, 2012 - WaterAid welcomes the news that the world has met its goal to halve the proportion of people without safe drinking water by 2015. The international non-profit organization has called for a renewed effort to reach the 780 million people still waiting for water.

New figures from the WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring 2012 Program Report were released earlier today and have revealed that between 1990 and 2010 over two billion people were provided with an improved water source. This is one of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets to be met since they were set twelve years ago.


With a renewed commitment, we could reach everyone in the world with clean water in just a generation. The world’s poorest communities deserve a concerted effort.
- David Winder, CEO, WaterAid, America

However, nearly four in ten people (39%) in sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to safe water and may have to wait decades for this essential service. This highlights that inequality in access to safe drinking water remains a challenge; the global community must recommit to sustainable and equitable approaches.

David Winder, CEO of WaterAid, America said, “Reaching the MDG water target is cause for celebration. However, there is no room for complacency: nearly 800 million of the world’s poorest people still live without this basic human need. With a renewed commitment, we could reach everyone in the world with clean water in just a generation. The world’s poorest communities deserve a concerted effort.”

While the water target has been met, the sister MDG target for halving the proportion of people without safe sanitation – which is even more crucial in tackling killer diseases in developing countries – is one of the most off-track of all the MDG targets, sadly. Globally it is predicted that it won’t be reached until 2026. In sub-Saharan Africa region it will take over two centuries for the region to reach this MDG. Currently 2.5 billion people live without adequate sanitation, a staggering 37% of the world’s population.

Dr. Winder continued, “With diarrheal diseases caused by inadequate sanitation now the biggest killer of children in Africa, progress on sanitation has to improve in order to save millions of young lives. This is an achievable goal and one that should see everyone redoubling their efforts.”

WaterAid transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities. We work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximize our impact.


Notes to Editors
For interview requests or additional information,

In the US, please contact Susannah Gold, Media, WaterAid in America on 917.207.5375 / sgold@wateraidamerica.org

In the UK, please contact Hratche Koundarjian, Media Officer (Policy and Campaigns) WaterAid, on +44 (0)207 793 4909 / +44 (0) 7905 911 039 / hratchekoundarjian@wateraid.org


1. The WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme Report can be downloaded from http://www.wssinfo.org.
2. Access to water has proved uneven. In sub-Saharan Africa, almost 9 out of 10 of the richest population use improved water sources, while only 35% of the poorest do. In the 50 poorest (least developed countries - LDCs), much of the population has not benefited from investment in drinking water. Coverage globally stands at 89%, but it is only 63% in LDCs.
3. 11 % of the world’s population still lacks access to water today and by 2015 that will be 8%. At this rate it will be 2027 before everyone has access to this essential service (universal access to water). 37% of the world’s population still lacks access to sanitation and by 2015 that will be 33%. Sub-Saharan Africa on current trends is not likely to have universal access to sanitation for another 350 years (2360).
4. The Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership is the key global inter-governmental partnership that brings developing and donor countries together to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. The SWA High Level Meeting will take place in Washington, DC on April 20, 2012. The High Level Meeting is part of the official World Bank / IMF Spring Meeting program.