World Water Day

  2.2 billion people (1 in 4) still live without safely managed drinking water , including 115 million people who drink surface water. • 3.5 billion people (4 in 10) still live without safely managed sanitation , including 419 million who practise open defecation. • 2 billion people still lack basic hygiene services , including 653 million with no facility at all. • Around 1,000 daily deaths of children under five are due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. • Children under the age of 15 living in countries affected by protracted conflict are, on average, almost three times more likely to die from diarrhoeal diseases caused by a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene than by direct violence. • More than 2 billion people live in countries under water stress and 3.6 billion face inadequate access to water at least one month per year. • Water-related disasters account for 70% of all disaster related deaths. • Since 2000, flood-related disasters have increased by 134%. ...

  Regulations, regulatory frameworks, risk management approaches and independent surveillance are essential for delivering quality drinking-water and sanitation services , and are the focus of this section. Nearly 90% of countries reported having standards in place for urban (89%, 92 of 103) and rural (88%, 90 of 102) drinking-water quality . In terms of service delivery requirements, 86% of countries (82 of 95) reported having defined regulations or standards for urban drinking-water and 75% (68 of 91) for rural drinking-water . Along the sanitation service chain , most countries also reported having regulations, standards or guidelines in place (Fig. 4.1), but those that address faecal sludge management are less common than those for sewered sanitation . Regulations for safe disposal or reuse of faecal sludge and wastewater are least common overall. Regulation is an important mechanism to ensure compliance with established service standards and norms. Most countries reported h...

  National monitoring systems for WASH include regular data collection for national monitoring indicators aligned with national targets , with data collected at sub-national level aggregated up to national level where relevant, and a defined system for data management and reporting, for example through a WASH management information system (MIS) . National monitoring systems provide data and information for government-led review mechanisms such as joint sector reviews (JSRs) , sector performance reports, and government and stakeholder decision-making processes, including development of WASH sector policies, strategies and plans. They also support monitoring of national commitments to global and regional initiatives, such as those in the Heads of StateInitiatives (HoSI) (Box 3.1) and the UN Water Action Agenda global commitment registry platform (1). Fig. 3.1 shows a national planning, monitoring and review cycle. Results on WASH plans and national targets were covered in the...

  National policies and plans play a central role in guiding sector development. WASH policies define a long-term vision for the sector and generally span a longer time frame, whereas WASH plans provide an operational strategy and roadmap for implementation, usually over a shorter time frame. WASH plans often include well-defined targets to enable systematic monitoring of progress, to guide allocation of resources to priority areas, and to foster political will and accountability. Additionally, institutional arrangements help determine the types of policies and plans in place. This section focuses on policies, plans, institutional arrangements and national targets.   Most countries participating in the GLAAS 2024/2025 country survey reported having an approved policy and plan in place for urban drinking-water (70%), rural drinking-water (67%), urban sanitation (70%) and rural sanitation (69%), but only a small minority (fewer than 13%) reported sufficient financial and human ...