Access to water and sanitation

Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene claim the lives of millions of people each year, including an estimated 1.5 million children under the age of five years. Lack of access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene affects the health, security, livelihood and quality of life for all, with the impact felt most by children and women, who are often burdened with collecting drinking water. The vast majority of people still affected by poor access to improved drinking water and sanitation are poor people living in rural communities. Removing this inequality is still a major challenge in developing a suitable development framework beyond 2015.

Related Subject(s): Population and Demography