By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
MORE than two billion people across the globe remain without access to safely managed drinking water, the United Nations has warned, raising concerns that the world is far off course to meet the 2030 goal of universal coverage.
A new joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF reveals that one in four people did not have access to safe drinking water in 2024. Alarmingly, more than 100 million people still rely on unsafe surface water from rivers, ponds and canals.
The agencies said lagging progress in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is leaving billions of people at greater risk of preventable diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid. Children, they warned, remain disproportionately affected, with poor water quality and lack of sanitation contributing to high child mortality rates in many low-income countries.
“Safe water and sanitation are not luxuries but basic human rights,” the report stressed, calling for urgent investment and stronger political will to reverse the trend.
Experts say that at the current rate of progress, achieving universal access by 2030 — a key target under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — is highly unlikely. Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and parts of the Middle East remain the most severely affected regions, where rapid population growth and climate pressures are compounding water scarcity.
The UN urged governments and international partners to step up funding, expand infrastructure, and prioritise sustainable water management as global demand continues to rise.
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