Water and sanitation

Water

People cannot live without water, and the daily toil involved in fetching it is a defining feature of poverty. But water is not just essential for life. It is a human right and the cornerstone of development, underpinning every single one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This means that unless we tackle water issues now, development efforts in areas such as health, education and economic growth will not achieve their full potential. In fact, improving water and sanitation services and managing water well are among the most effective ways of boosting economies and reducing poverty.

The reality of climate change will largely be felt through water: more frequent and severe floods and droughts. Increasing numbers of people will experience water scarcity - as many as three billion by 2025. Changing rainfall and water availability may lead to increasing tensions and conflict and will undermine economic growth.

If we fail to get to grips with water and sanitation, around 4,000 people, mostly children, will continue to die needlessly every day simply because of preventable diarrhoea. Millions of work hours (and billions of pounds) will continue to be lost each year through avoidable illness. And huge numbers of women will continue to trek miles every day just to fetch drinking water - drudgery which robs them of the chance to get an education or earn the money that could lift them out of poverty.

Water and sanitation is a cornerstone of development, underpinning all of the MDGs, in particular those concerning health, education and economic growth. But most of the world’s poorest countries have to cope with high rainfall variability and minimal infrastructure to store and distribute water.

These challenges will be exacerbated by climate change. Most impacts will be felt through more frequent and more severe floods and droughts. This will increase the vulnerability of poor countries and lead to further economic losses at the national level, and to devastation for those directly affected.

What DFID is doing

DFID’s recent water and sanitation policy, sets out a plan of investment over the next five years, to help 25 million more people across Africa gain access to safe water and basic sanitation and 30 million people in South Asia gain access to improved sanitation.

DFID is committed to helping developing countries manage their water resources better - helping them to build resilience to the impacts of climate change. We will work with countries and international agencies to address the floods, droughts and chronic water shortages that climate change will bring. This will include supporting efforts to gather and analyse information on water use and availability, allowing better forecasting and more efficient allocation of resources.

A key goal is to ensure that the benefits from water (for example power and food) are managed well. These resources need to be managed in a way that supports economic growth, while also balancing the needs of different water users and the environment. This means supporting governments and households in using water more productively - for example through hydropower or the irrigation of higher value crops.

Improved management and more efficient use of water for food production are vital if the world is to meet future demand for food.

Links

• Water: An increasingly precious resource. Sanitation: A matter of dignity
• Research4development - Water and sanitation
• DFID Water and Sanitation Research from IDS Knowledge Services
• International Water Management Institute
• Partnering for sustainable water supply and sanitation (PAWS)