SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
Institution: Ministry of Jal Shakti; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Despite significant progress over the past decade, 2.1 billion people globally one in four still do not have access to safely managed drinking water, according to the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF released during World Water Week 2025. This includes 106 million people who depend directly on untreated surface water sources such as lakes, rivers, and ponds. The report highlights persistent inequalities with the most vulnerable populations those in low-income countries, fragile contexts, rural areas, children, minority ethnic groups, and indigenous peoples bearing the brunt. Access to safely managed sanitation and basic hygiene services remain inadequate for billions, with 3.4 billion lacking improved sanitation and 1.7 billion without basic hygiene facilities at home.
Women and adolescent girls face disproportionate burdens, including managing menstrual hygiene and spending significant time collecting water often over 30 minutes daily. While rural areas have seen some improvement in safe water access, progress in urban areas has stagnated. The report stresses the urgency to accelerate efforts to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets, emphasizing that water, sanitation, and hygiene are fundamental human rights essential to health and social equity.
Relevant question for policy stakeholders: What policy innovations and investments can most effectively accelerate equitable WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) access in fragile and low-income contexts?
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