Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa Water & Sanitation & Hygiene August 2018 | Page 4

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Guest Editorial
“A Water – Secure World for All”
W
ater is at the center of economic and social development: it is vital to maintain health, grow food,
generate energy, manage the environment, and create jobs. Water availability and management impacts
whether poor girls are educated, whether cities are healthy places to live, and whether growing industries or
poor villages can withstand the impacts of floods or droughts.
However, 4.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services and 2.1 billion people lack access to safely
managed drinking water services. And water-related hazards, including floods, storms, and droughts, are
responsible for 9 out of 10 natural disasters. Climate change is expected to increase this risk, in addition to
placing greater stress on water supplies.
The Millennium Development Goals helped rally the world around the challenges of water supply and
sanitation. Billions of people have gained access to basic drinking water and sanitation services since 2000, but
these services do not necessarily provide safe water and sanitation. Some 3 in 10 people worldwide lack access
to safe, readily available water at home, and 6 in 10 lack safely managed sanitation, according to a new report
by WHO and UNICEF.
Of the 2.1 billion people who do not have access to safely managed water, 844 million do not have even a basic
drinking water service. Of the 4.5 billion people who do not have safely managed