Majority of population has access to potable water, exceeding MDG target

THE WORLD has achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on safe drinking water, the United Nations (UN) said, even as it noted that the target in improving sanitation globally may not be reached before the 2015 deadline.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the UN said a report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that in 2010, 6.1 billion people or 89% of the world’s population had sustainable access to safe drinking water, exceeding the 88% MDG target.

The report also estimated that 92% of the global population will have access to improved drinking water in 2015.

The statement quoted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying:

“This is one of the first MDG targets to be met.”

“The successful efforts to provide greater access to drinking water are a testament to all who see the MDGs not as a dream, but as a vital tool for improving the lives of millions of the poorest people,” the UN chief added.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, meanwhile, said this achievement also contributes to the MDG of reducing child mortality, noting that more than 3,000 children die from diarrhea-related diseases daily.

UN officials urged governments to continue programs on water, since at least 783 million people or 11% of the world’s population are still without access to safe drinking water.

They added that efforts at improving sanitation must also be intensified, noting that the MDG target for sanitation may not be achieved in 2015.

The UNICEF and WHO report said only 63% of the world’s population has improved sanitation access. This figure is projected to rise to 67% by 2015, missing the 75% target of the MDGs.

The report added that 2.5 billion people still lack improved sanitation at present, which may threaten access to safe drinking water.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said: “Providing sustainable access to improved drinking water sources is one of the most important things we can do to reduce disease.”

She added, however, that governments must ensure that access remains safe. “Otherwise our gains will be in vain,” Ms. Chan said.

The UNICEF and WHO reports also noted uneven progress in both the MDGs on water and sanitation.

Of 1.1 billion people who still practice open defecation, the vast majority (949 million) live in rural areas, the report said, adding that this affects even regions with high levels of improved water access.

It cited as an example countries with rapidly growing economies but which have large numbers of people who practice open defecation: 626 million in India, 14 million in China and 7.2 million in Brazil.

UN’s Mr. Ban said: “Our next step must be to target the most difficult to reach, the poorest and the most disadvantaged people across the world.”

In a report released last month, the UN and the Asian Development Bank said the Philippines is “on track” in achieving both MDG targets of increasing access to safe drinking water and improving sanitation.

The MDGs, established in 2000, involve the following: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality rates; improving maternal health; combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development. — Kim Arveen M. Patria, Businessworld