The following was written for World Water Day, celebrated March 22.

The global drinking water situation INTERNATIONALLY, the focus has shifted from Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target seven which aimed to halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking-water, to achieving Sustainable Development Goal(SGD) 6:2 which aims at improving water sources and accessibility to water by 2030. Amidst these targets and numerous governmental initiatives, global water reports demonstrate that approximately 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water. In the Caribbean and Latin America alone, more than 25 per cent of the population lack access to water and sanitation.

Impact of climate change on water security

Throughout the world, an estimated 55 million people are affected by droughts yearly. Unpredictable weather patterns and rising atmospheric temperatures have resulted in prolonged periods of droughts and, disheartenedly, the impact of climate change on the global water insecurity situation is expected to worsen in years to come. Already in tropical countries weather patterns have become unpredictable as atmospheric temperatures rise. Reduced rainfall in some countries has resulted in water evaporation from rivers and other terrestrial water sources. Water insecurity will therefore remain a significant social and public health concern as water supplies on land continue to fall.

The right to safe and clean water is a human right

According to the United Nations, access to water is recognised as a human right and is fundamental for everyone’s health, dignity, and prosperity. Worldwide, waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, leptospirosis, dysentery, polio, and hepatitis are emerging and re-emerging. Typhoid and polio are estimated to cause 505,000 diarrhoeal deaths each year. Governments are therefore tasked with the responsibility to ensure that the UN SGD 6:2 is achieved by 2030, thus intensified efforts, policies and investments are required over the next five years so that adequate and safe water can be provided for one-third of the world’s population.

The social impact of water insecurity

Lack of access to adequate and safe water has resulted in developmental and social challenges universally. Fuelled by the lack of comprehensive policies and legislation, water insecurity has negatively impacted developing countries. For illustration in Jamaica, approximately 15 per cent of households rely on obtaining domestic water from informal or non-municipal sources such as rivers and springs. Importantly also is the fact that Jamaica has no legislation that specifically recognises the right to water for each citizen. Uneven water distribution is common throughout the country’s landscape, especially amongst rural communities.

The water security challenge

Indisputably, governments throughout the world are making strides towards achieving the UN SDG 6:2, nevertheless access to water for all should be achieved by the year 2030. Competing national priorities, inadequate financial resources and other limitations such the geographical location of some communities make widescale provision of municipal water for all challenging to achieve by the year 2030.

Greater support required for community-based water systems

As governments seek to provide water to communities and households it is imperative to note that many communities and households have their own water supply, some of which are transgenerational. Through community participation, informal, community-based water supplies have also been developed in recent years as residents pool their efforts to provide their own water supply for domestic use and other purposes. Entombed springs, private wells and other water sources which are non-municipal and community-based have served as a major source of domestic water for many countries. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel for water provision in some of these communities, policymakers should seek to provide support to the operators of these facilities as means of ensuring that global and national water security and water safety goals are accomplished.

Poor national land management and the absence of proper zoning in many communities where these water sources and supplies are located is concerning to public health. Throughout numerous countries, community-based water supply systems vary and exist without regulatory guidance yet these systems consistently provide domestic water for communities and families. Countless operators of community-based water systems face varying challenges regarding their ability to maintain the water supplies in a sustainable manner, often due to the lack of expertise, insufficient financial resources, ageing infrastructure, and absence of guidance from State agencies.

Other solutions for water security

Greater effort and political will are urgently required to ensure “water for all by 2030”. Too often, government water quality management programmes are narrowed to focus only on municipal supplies whilst residents who use community-based water are exposed to the risk of waterborne diseases. Annually, water insecurity consistently ranks as a great concern for government policymakers. More comprehensive water safety policies that recognise and provide support for community-based water supplies will reduce water insecurity and water stress; benefit citizens, the economy and public health; whilst aiding governments to meet the UN SDG 6:2. Development and institution of comprehensive government water safety policies will promote a framework for the safe management of water supplies — whether municipal or informal and community-based.

Dr Karlene Atkinson is a public health specialist and lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Technology, Jamaica.