Sanitation in crisis

24 July 2008

During times of flooding these drainage ditches overflow depositing stagnant water, urine and excrement in and around people's homes.

Credit: WaterAid / Jeremy Horner

The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation published a report last week highlighting the fact that 2.5 billion people, nearly 40% of the world's population, still lack access to improved sanitation.

The monitoring programme gives details of the progress made towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets to halve the proportions of people without drinking water and sanitation by 2015.

The report shows that while access to safe water is improving at a global level the sanitation target will not be met at current rates of progress. Access to sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa is in fact getting worse, with only 31% of people able to access a toilet - 6% fewer than reported in 2006.

The report states "The message is clear: We need to greatly accelerate progress in sanitation, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. The number of people who still do not have access to improved sanitation is staggering, and we know that the disease, loss of earnings and indignity lock huge numbers of people into poverty."

Without serious political attention to sanitation, progress across all the MDG targets to reduce poverty will be thwarted. WaterAd is calling on governments to address this crisis when the UN meets in September

WaterAid Head of Policy Henry Northover commented, "The UN meeting In September is the last best chance for world leaders to commit the policies and finance for a meaningful global action plan for sanitation."

You can help us call for action by adding your name to the End Water Poverty campaign. (opens in a new window)

Read the WHO/UNICEF report, Progress in Drinking water and Sanitation: special focus on sanitation (opens in a new window).