WaterWaWfor the Millennium Development Goals

Why managing water resources wisely is key to achieving the MDGs

United Nations World Water Assessment Programme

Crops, � shing and aquaculture, livestock, poultry, dairy … in rural communities, the availability of food often depends entirely on uncertain weather patterns – whether rains come and rivers � ow. Ensuring a sustainable water supply for agriculture increases food production and helps alleviate the world’s hunger.

Water is essential to industry, to economic development and to creating livelihoods for the poor. A reliable water supply also helps poor households augment their income through productive domestic activities such as cultivating vegetable gardens or raising poultry. Without water, agriculture, industry, energy production and all other economic activities come to a halt.

Water is the principal medium through which climate change exhibits its environmental, economic and social impacts. Many regions, and particularly poorer communities, are already vulnerable to � oods, droughts and similar water-related disasters which can destroy lives, assets and incomes. But the risks associated with climate uncertainty and change can be mitigated by storing and distributing water wisely when it is scarce and by planning ahead to protect communities from � oods. Coping with water-related risks requires the collective involvement and broad planning of integrated water resources management (IWRM).Er

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The number of people in developing regions

living in extreme poverty fell from

1.8 billion in 1990 to 1.4 billion in 2005.

The World Bank estimates 64 million

more people will be living in extreme

poverty by the end of 2010 as a result of the

economic crisis.

Approximately 60% of the total labour

force in Africa works in agriculture, providing livelihoods for 90% of people in rural areas.

Providing safe water services and managing water resources wisely improves health and opens opportunities for education and capacity-building for all.

In many poor communities, fetching water from distant sources and queuing for water are physically-demanding and time-consuming responsibilities borne primarily by women and girls. Women have less time to engage in other productive activities, while for girls school attendance is often considered a lesser priority: a gender bias that creates a huge imbalance in school enrolment ratios. The lack of adequate sanitation and separate toilet facilities in schools also reduces girls’ attendance.

Consequent disparities in women’s education and involvement in decision-making can place them at a signi� cant disadvantage in earning an income or having a say in the affairs of their community.M

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Socio-economic development, education and empowerment start with a healthy and safe community• Water-related illnesses cause health costs that can

claim much of the household income of the poor. • Household livelihoods depend on income-

producing members; adults who are ill themselves or who are caring for sick children are less productive.

• Water and sanitation facilities located closer to homes reduces the risk of sexual assault of women and girls when gathering water and searching for privacy.

• Better health improves school attendance rates for girls and boys.

Improved water services frees up time for productive activities – especially for women and girls • Women and girls are often the primary

collectors of water and the primary carers for sick family members.

• Time women lose for other productive activities contributes to household poverty.

• Reducing these burdens enables more girls to attend primary and secondary school and increases more women to participate in adult education, community activities and organizations, and leisure activities.

Investments in water infrastructure and services are catalysts for development and the empowerment of women• Reducing ecosystems degradation makes

livelihood systems more secure. • Improving water services not only

increases water provision, but can also provide jobs to local communities and build capacities.

• Community-based organizations for water management can improve the social capital of women, by promoting their leadership and networking opportunities and building solidarity among them.

In sub-Saharan Africa, only 79% of children of primary-

school age were enrolled in 2008.

In 2007, only 53 of 171 countries with available data had achieved gender parity in primary

& secondary education.

2/3 of employed women have

vulnerable jobs.

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Having a sustainable, safe water supply and benefi ting from

its economic opportunities can

help break the vicious circle of

poverty.

A safe, secure water supply helps all

children – boys and girls – to stay at

school and can enable women to participate more actively in their

community.

Responsible water resources management is vital for the environment and improves the health and well-being of everybody in the community• Better water management reduces mosquito habitats and lowers the incidence of water-borne diseases.• Safe drinking water and basic sanitation help prevent water-related disease, most notably diarrhoea.

(Improved water supply reduces diarrhoea morbidity by 21 %; improved sanitation reduces diarrhoea morbidity by 37.5 %.)

• Reliable drinking-water supplies and improved water management in human settlement areas reduce transmission risks of malaria and dengue fever and can reduce biological pathogens and chemical hazards to which slum dwellers especially are exposed.

• IWRM can facilitate reconciliation of upstream/downstream water-use con� icts.• Biodiversity conservation to combat deserti� cation is furthered by sound water management.• Careful use of water resources can help prevent surface and groundwater contamination, and help

minimize water treatment costs.

Human health depends on the quality of our immediate surroundings, in which water and sanitation services and their management have a key role. Children are at risk without safe water to drink, without adequate water to stay clean, and without access to safe sanitation facilities. In such conditions, parents are often powerless to give proper care to their children and are themselves vulnerableto diseases.

Better water quality and sanitation services, and measures that help women to reduce their physical burdens, can improve expectant mothers’ health and contribute to safer pregnancies. The provision of safe water for medical purposes also improves their safety and that of their newborn during and after childbirth.

Reliable, safe water and sanitation services not only lower the incidence of many diseases but also increase children’s and adults’ capacities to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Access to safe water can help to keep HIV-infected people healthy and productive.

Cooperation in water resources management, particularly for its sustainable use, is critical.

Development agendas and partnerships must recognize the fundamental roles of sustainable water-resources management and the provision of safe drinking-water and basic sanitation in economic and social development and in ensuring the future of life-supporting ecosystem services.

Where water problems serve as a constraint to development (e.g. water scarcity, salinity, disasters), improving water resources management and water supply and sanitation services can facilitate partnerships for global development.

Water is key to our survival, and that of other � ora and fauna on our planet. Integrated water resources management (IWRM) lets users balance water needs for economic and social activities and ensure environmental sustainability.

Adequate treatment and disposal of wastewater contributes to better ecosystem conservation, putting less pressure on scarce freshwater resources. IWRM is also pivotal to reducing our vulnerability to climate change and variability.

Good water management and infrastructure is vital to bring adequate and sustainable supplies of safe water and sanitation services to poorly serviced communities in rural and urban areas, including slums.

United Nations World Water Assessment Programme

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Better management of water resources lessens pollution

and improves water conservation towards ensuring

sustainable, life-supporting

ecosystems.

Water knows no political boundaries

and is especially vulnerable to human

impacts. We must work together to use this irreplaceable

resource wisely.

Yearly loss of forest was 5.2 million hectares in 2000–2010, down from

8.3 million hectares per year in the 1990s.

87% of the world used improved sources of drinking water in 2008, compared

with 78% in 1990.

From 1990 to 2008, 1.3 billion people gained access to improved sanitation,

but the world’s population increased by over 1.5 billion.

Since 2000, the share of the urban population living in slums has declined from 39% to 33% in the developing world. But housing and energy crises

may slow progress and, in some cases, reverse positive trends.

Offi cial development assistance (ODA) from developed countries in 2009 equalled 0.31%

of their combined national income.

In 2008, the only countries to reach

or exceed the 0.7% UN target ODA were Denmark,

Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway

and Sweden.

Global under-fi ve mortality fell from

12.5 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008.

This means that 10,000 fewer children

died each day in 2008.

Every year, 536,000 women and girls die during pregnancy, childbirth or in the six weeks following

delivery. Almost all of these deaths occur in developing countries.

In 2008, an estimated 22.4 million people

in sub-Saharan Africa were living with HIV. M

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G 7

Safe water and improved

sanitation are central to health and well-being.