Water and sanitation

Water Factsheet(234 kb) | Meeting our promises: A fourth update on DFID's work in water and sanitation (1,763 kb) | Top ten facts about water and sanitation | Why we need a global action plan on water and sanitation(610 kb) | Water: The Works(132 kb) | Water and Sanitation: Answers to key questions

In 2000, the world signed up to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water, and in 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015. These targets are central to DFID`s approach to poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Almost 900 million people still lack access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion people still lack access to basic sanitation. At current rates of progress, the water target will not be achieved in Sub-Saharan Africa. The sanitation target will be missed in both Africa and Asia by almost one billion people.

The 2006 White Paper: Eliminating world poverty, making governance work for the poor sets out DFID’s commitments on water and sanitation. DFID is committed to increasing spending on the essential public services - water, sanitation, health, education and social protection - to at least half of the UK’s direct support to developing countries. DFID will also double its support to water and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa to £95 million a year by 2007/08, and more than double funding again to £200 million by 2010/11.

DFID employs advisers with specialist water and sanitation knowledge in various African and Asian countries as well as having in-house expertise in its African, Asian and Europe and Middle East and Americas Divisions. DFID has also placed advisers in important positions in partner government ministries or international organisations.

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Country activity

Four of the 16 key African countries chosen for DFID’s Public Service Agreement that are most off-track to meet the water and sanitation targets are:

• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Ethiopia
• Nigeria
• Sudan

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Links

• Financial support to the water sector 2004 – 2006(1,223 kb)
• Financial support to the water sector 2002 – 2004(890 kb)
• DFID’s partnership with the NGO WaterAid

 

• DEW-Point Resource Centre
• International Development Committee Inquiry into Water and Sanitation
• National Audit Office Report (HC 351 Session 2002-2003: 31 January 2003), Department for International Development: Maximising impact in the water sector
• World Water Day
• UN International Year of Sanitation, 2008
• UN Water
• The Water and Sanitation Program
• The African Development Bank
• Global Water Partnership
• Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
• WaterAid
• Freshwater Action Network
• UK Water Network

Last updated: 26 September 2008