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A different perspective on progress

DRINKING 21 The ladder

Drinking can be broken down Unimproved drinking water sources: into three categories, which are illustrated in VED Unprotected dug , unprotected , the form of a ‘drinking water ladder’ similar to cart with small tank/drum, tanker truck, and that developed for . The category (, , , pond, stream, ‘improved drinking water sources’ includes , channels), . sources that, by nature of their construction or through active intervention, are protected U N I MPR O from outside contamination, particularly faecal matter. These include piped water in a dwelling, plot or yard, and other improved sources. ‘Unimproved sources’ make up the third part of the ladder.

In this report, drinking water coverage is Other improved drinking water sources: presented as a three-step ladder that includes VED Public taps or standpipes, tube or

the proportion of the population using: THER , protected dug wells, protected • unimproved drinking water sources O springs and rainwater collection. • improved drinking water sources other I MPR O than piped water • water piped into a dwelling, plot or yard.

Piped water on premises: Piped household water connection located inside the user’s dwelling, plot or yard. r yard r o t lo , p g n lli e w d o nt i ped Pi

22 Global drinking water coverage, 1990-2006 The population not using improved drinking water sources Figure 19 has fallen below one billion 13 Proportion of 89 Today, 87 per cent of the world’s population uses drinking water from the world’s improved sources: 54 per cent uses a piped connection in their dwelling, population plot or yard, and 33 per cent uses other improved drinking water sources. using a piped 33 drinking water This translates into 5.7 billion people worldwide who are now using connection, ) drinking water from an improved source, an increase of 1.6 billion since (%

another 1990. About 3.6 billion people use a piped connection that provides ge

improved ra running water in or near their homes. drinking water ve

source or an Co

Estimates for 2006 show that the population reliant on unimproved unimproved target MDG drinking water sources is below one billion, and now stands at 884 million. source, 2006 54 Improved drinking water coverage in sub-Saharan is still considerably lower than in other regions. Nevertheless, it has increased from 49 per cent in 1990 to 58 per cent in 2006, which means that an

additional 207 million Africans are now using safe drinking water. Improved drinking water coverage, according to the MDG indicator

DRINKING WATER SUPPLY COVERAGE Coverage is improving in all regions*Piped water on premises Other improved PipedUnimproved water on premises Other improved Unimproved

2 1 2 1 7 6 8 8 7 6 10 8 8 10 7 6 7 6 12 12 1213 12 13 13 13 16 14 16 1414 16 14 16 23 26 23 12 12 27 29 26 27 14 10 32 14 10 29 22 21 22 21 32 17 15 17 42 15 42 17 17 30 30 51 51 33 33

38 38 29 29 17 17 54 54 65 35 65 35

54 54 93 57 91 57 91 93 80 80 78 80 78 80 73 73 73 42 42 71 69 71 73 67 67 69 33 33 58 58 54 54 51 51 48 48 32 46 32 46 22 36 22 36 20 20 16 16 16 16 16 16

1990 2006 1990 2006 1990 2006 1990 1990 2006 20061990 1990 2006 19902006 1990 2006 1990 2006 1990 2006 1990 2006 20061990 200619901990 200 6 200619901990 2006 200619901990 2006 2006 1990 2006 1990 2006 1990 2006 Common- Latin America Northern WesternCommon-EasternLatin AmericaSouthern Northern South-easter Westernn Sub-SaharanEastern DevelopingSouthern DevelopedSouth-eastern WorldSub-Saharan Developing Developed World wealth of & Caribbean Africa Asia wealth of Asia& Caribbean Asia Africa Asia Asia Africa Asia regionsAsia regionsAsia Africa regions regions Independent Independent States States Figure 20 Trends in the proportion of the population using a piped water connection, other improved drinking water sources or an unimproved source, by MDG region in 1990 and 2006 *Oceania is not included due to lack of complete data. 23 Progress towards the drinking water target

The world is on track to meet the drinking water target 87 per cent of the world’s population uses The world is on track to meet the MDG drinking an improved drinking water source water target. Current trends suggest that more than 90 per cent of the global population will use 20 +20 improved drinking water sources by 2015. +13 +13 +13 15 +10 10 +8 +9 +4 +4 5 +1 +1 All regions report gains, 0 -5 -1 except Oceania 99 100 94 92 92 90 88 Eighty-seven per cent of the global population 87 86 84 87 now uses improved drinking water sources, 80 compared to 77 per cent in 1990. Gains were made in all regions except Oceania, where 60 58 drinking water coverage slipped back slightly. 50 Eastern Asia stands out for increasing its drinking 40 water coverage by 20 percentage points, which Coverage (%) represents 416 million people who have gained access to improved water sources since 1990. 20

Sub-Saharan Africa is making 0 the slowest progress World Oceania

Population forecasts suggest that an additional Caribbean Eastern Asia Western Asia 784 million people worldwide will need to gain Southern Asia Northern Africa Latin America & Developed regions Commonwealth of South-eastern Asia Sub-Saharan Africa access to improved drinking water sources to Developing regions Independent States meet the MDG target. Accelerated progress is needed especially in sub-Saharan Africa, home Figure 21 Improved drinking water coverage, by region in to more than a third of those using unimproved 2006 and percentage-point change 1990-2006 drinking water sources.

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa face the greatest challenges in drinking water

Less than 50% 50% - 75% 76% - 90% 91% - 100% No or insufficient data

Figure 22 Drinking water coverage, 2006

24 Progress towards the drinking water target

Trends indicate that most countries are on track to meet the MDG drinking water target, except in sub-Saharan Africa

On track Not on track Coverage in 2006 was less than 5 per cent below the rate it Coverage in 2006 was more than 10 per cent below the needed to be for the country to reach the MDG target, or rate it needed to be for the country to reach the MDG coverage was higher than 95% target, or the 1990-2006 trend shows unchanged or de- creasing coverage Progress but insufficient Coverage in 2006 was 5 per cent to 10 per cent below the No or insufficient data rate it needed to be for the country to reach the MDG target Data were unavailable or insufficient to estimate trends

Figure 23 Progress towards the MDG drinking water target, 2006

Table 8 Regional and global progress towards the MDG drinking water target Drinking water Coverage needed to be MDG target Region coverage (%) Progress on track in 2006 (%) coverage (%) 1990 2006 Commonwealth of Independent States 93 94 95 97 On track Northern Africa 88 92 92 94 On track Latin America & Caribbean 84 92 89 92 On track Western Asia 86 90 90 93 On track Eastern Asia 68 88 78 84 On track Southern Asia 74 87 82 87 On track South-eastern Asia 73 86 82 87 On track Developing regions 71 84 80 86 On track Developed regions 98 99 99 99 On track World 77 87 84 89 On track Sub-Saharan Africa 49 58 65 75 Not on track Oceania 51 50 67 76 Not on track

25 Urban-rural disparities in drinking water coverage

The MDG target for water and sanitation requires that indicators to measure progress be disaggregated % 99 98 100 100 97 96 95 95 97 96 by urban and rural populations. This 92 91 94 report therefore highlights urban 86 87 84 80 81 80 81 81 78 and rural disparities, which would 73 76 otherwise be masked by aggregate figures. 60 46 Rural access to improved 40 37 drinking water sources remains low 20 The world’s rural inhabitants represent 84 per cent of the 0 population using unimproved World

sources of drinking water. An Oceania Caribbean

estimated 746 million rural dwellers Eastern Asia Western Asia Southern Asia Northern Africa are without improved drinking Latin America & Developed regions Commonwealth of South-eastern Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Developing regions water supplies, compared to 137 Independent States million urban residents. That said, Urban Rural there is some positive news: 717 3.5 million rural inhabitants have gained Figure 24 Urban and rural water supply coverage, 2006 access to safe drinking water since 3.0 1990. 2.5 2.0 Urban coverage is struggling to keep pace with population1.5 growth While the rural challenge remains significant, the urban challenge is growing fast. 1.0

Since 1990, the world’s urban population has risen by 956 million people.Population (billions) During that period, 926 million urban dwellers gained access to improved drinking0.5 water sources. At the same time, the urban population without improved drinking0.0 water sources increased from 107 million to 137 million. Most of this increase took1990 place Urban 2006 in urban areas of the developing world. Improved Unimproved

137 million people in urban areas do not use 746 million people in rural areas do not use an improved source of drinking water an improved source of drinking water

3.5 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 Population (billions) 0.5 Population (billions) 0.5 0.0 0.0 Rural 1990 Urban 2006 1990 2006

Improved Unimproved Improved Unimproved Figure 25 Trends in urban drinking water Figure 26 Trends in rural drinking water coverage coverage by population, 1990-2006 by population, 1990-2006

26 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0

Population (billions) 0.5 0.0 1990 Rural 2006

Improved Unimproved Urban-rural disparities in drinking water coverage

Urban-rural disparities in the use of improved drinking water sources are highest in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa

Less than 50% 50% - 75% 76% - 90% 91% - 100% No or insufficient data

Figure 27 Coverage of improved drinking water sources in urban areas, 2006

Less than 50% 50% - 75% 76% - 90% 91% - 100% No or insufficient data

Figure 28 Coverage of improved drinking water sources in rural areas, 2006

27 Piped water on premises

S Piped water on premises: E Piped connections into a dwelling, IS plot or yard. PREM Solid progress is being made in piped

N drinking water coverage

O Good progress has been made in the use of piped drinking water on premises, which represents the highest rung of the drinking water ladder

ATER where health gains are maximized. Use of piped drinking water has risen by six percentage points since 1990, reaching 54 per cent in 2006. While this may seem modest, it represents an increase of one billion people. This progress is impressive. pedW However, piped drinking water remains largely an

Pi urban privilege: 2.5 billion urban inhabitants use : a piped drinking water connection on premises, compared to only 1.1 billion people in rural areas.

1,200 ADDER

L 1,047 1,000 ATER Urban dwellers are more than twice as likely as 800

G W G rural dwellers to have piped water connections

N 600 595 % KI 100 98 93 N 91 90 90

I 87

Population (millions) 400 80 78 78 70

DR 63 62 60 57 53 48 51 200 42 40 35 THE 31 27 0 20 14 10 5

0 sources water Piped on premises World Other improved Other improved Caribbean Eastern Asia Western Asia Southern Asia Northern Africa Latin America & Developed regions Commonwealth of South-eastern Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Developing regions Independent States Figure 30 Population that gained access Urban Rural to a piped connection in their dwelling, plot or yard and Figure 29 Piped water coverage, urban and rural, by to other improved sources, region, 2006 1990-2006

28 Piped water on premises Other improved sources of drinking water

Other improved sources: Sources of drinking water likely to be ved protected from outside contamination, o particularly faecal matter, but excluding piped connections into dwelling, plot or yard. They include public taps or standpipes, tube wells or boreholes, Impr protected dug wells, protected springs and rainwater collection. THER : O

Use of other improved drinking water sources remains high globally and has increased since 1990. Populations in Southern Asia rely heavily on these drinking water sources, where use has ADDER increased from 54 per cent to 65 per cent since L 1990. In sub-Saharan Africa, use has increased from 33 per cent to 42 per cent during the

same period. In South-eastern Asia, use of other ATER improved drinking water sources has declined slightly, though more than half the population (54 per cent) depends on them. In all other regions, W G use of these sources is decreasing – most notably N

in Northern Africa, where use declined from 30 per KI

cent in 1990 to 14 per cent in 2006. N I DR Rural dwellers are more than twice as likely as urban dwellers to rely on other improved sources of drinking water

% THE 100

75 74 67

49 47 50 44 44 46 39 41

25 25 24 23 24 19 19 18 11 9 7 5 2 2 0 World Caribbean Eastern Asia Western Asia Northern Asia Southern Asia Latin America & Developed regions Commonwealth of South-eastern Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Developing regions Independent States

Urban Rural Figure 31 Coverage of other improved sources of drinking water, urban and rural, by region in 2006

29 Unimproved sourcessources ofof drinking drinking water water

Unimproved drinking water sources: Unprotected dug wells, unprotected ved springs, cart with small tank/drum, o bottled water, tanker truck, and surface water (river, dam, lake, pond, stream,

mpr canal, irrigation channels). i n u : The lowest rung of the drinking water ladder is use of unimproved drinking water sources. Thirteen per cent of the world’s population – 884 million people – now consumes drinking water from unimproved sources. This

ADDDER represents a reduction of 10 percentage points

L since 1990. Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest population using unimproved water sources, but figures have dropped for this region from 51 per cent in 1990 to 42 per cent in 2006. ATER

Oceania is the only developing region that has

G W G failed to lower use of unimproved drinking

N water sources since 1990. Half of the 9.2 million people in that region continue to use KI unimproved sources. N I DR

884 million people – about half of whom live in Asia – THE still use an unimproved drinking water source

Sub-Saharan Africa, 328 Southern Asia, 207

Eastern Asia, 162 South-eastern Asia, 78

Western Asia, 21

Latin America & Caribbean, 47 Commonwealth of Independent States, 16

Northern Africa, 12

Developed regions, 8 Oceania, 5

Figure 32 Population using an unimproved drinking water source, by region in 2006 (millions)

30 Unimproved sources of drinking water

Use of bottled water is a growing Table 9 Countries in which more than 5 per cent of the urban phenomenon population uses bottled water as their main drinking water source Surveys show that bottled water is a significant Bottled water users (%) source of drinking water in some countries. The water comes in both bottles and Urban Rural plastic sachets and is usually packaged by private Dominican Republic 67 34 enterprises, both large and small. is Lao People’s Democratic Republic 52 6 often resold in bottles by public water vendors. 45 18 Guatemala 31 10 The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme Guyana 28 14 Turkey 26 3 for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) considers Yemen 25 1 bottled water a source of improved drinking * 15 8 water only when another improved source is Albania 12 1 also used for cooking and personal . ** 12 1 For countries where information on the use of Philippines* 10 1 alternative sources is not yet available, bottled Serbia 7 4 water is considered on a case-by-case basis. Cambodia 7 1 6 1

The JMP will be analysing the role of bottled Source: MICS, DHS, Encuesta Nacional de Salud Materno Infantil (ENSMI) and Pan Arab water in an upcoming report on the safety and Project for Family Health (PAPFAM) surveys, 2002-2005 * All or part of the water is sold from refilling stations that fill bottles with tap water. quality of drinking water. ** Data for Ghana only describe use of ‘sachet water’ (300 millilitre plastic bags of water).

31 A different perspective on progress

Countries facing exceptional challenges deserve recognition As described on page 20, this report recognizes the efforts of countries that face the greatest challenges in meeting the MDG water and sanitation target, due to either low baseline coverage levels or rapid population growth. Table 10 lists ten countries on track to meet the MDG drinking water target that have made the most rapid progress between 1990 and 2006.2 Seven of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Table 11 lists the five countries that have progressed most rapidly among countries not on track to meet the drinking water target. All of them had low coverage baselines in 1990, and all are in sub-Saharan Africa.

2 Relative to the 1998 (mid-point 1990-2006) population

Table 10 Countries with the largest proportion of population that gained access to an improved drinking water source, 1990-2006 Countries making the most rapid progress Proportion of the population that gained access to an Country improved drinking water source since 1990 (%) Burkina Faso 66 Namibia 61 Malawi 59 Viet Nam 59 53 Guatemala 52 Ghana 51 49 49 Djibouti 47

Table 11 Countries not on track to meet the MDG drinking water target with the largest proportion of population that gained access to an improved drinking water source, 1990-2006 Countries not on track but making rapid progress Proportion of the population that gained access to an Country improved drinking water source since 1990 (%) Benin 37 Angola 33 Comoros 31 Burundi 29 United Republic of 28 Tanzania

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