Access to Safe Drinking Water

Abstract

Unclean water and a lack of basic sanitation are undermining efforts to end extreme poverty and disease in the world’s poorest countries. Availability of adequate supplies of water and ready access to them are essential prerequisites for health, food sufficiency and socio economic development. Predicted climate change is likely to add measurable stress to water resources in many regions of the world. In working towards improvements in the quality of life and the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), water is a key issue around which much revolves. The objective of this research is to look at the access to safe drinking water, in relation to the efforts to achieve the SDGs. Using a structured questionnaire and observational checklist, information was collected from female household heads in villages. Key indicators used in this survey are distance to sources of water, and the type of water supply system. In order to assess performance, four scenarios are created and their impacts are analyzed. Most of the scenarios indicate that continued and adequate funding is absolutely necessary for increasing access and achievement of the SDGs. The worst scenario is high population growth with no funding, which will result to a decrease in water coverage. This study also found that safe water supplies are available within 160 meters. Although queuing times may be quite long, unprotected sources are not used for drinking purposes.