Is the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for water and sanitation on track? Target 10 revisited

Target 10 of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG-7) expresses the global commitment to halve the proportion of population without access to water and sanitation by 2015. Preliminary assessments of prospects for achievement of this goal show that much progress has been made to date with regard to improving access to safe water. The proportion of population with improved access to water is estimated to have increased from 77 per cent in 1990 to 83 per cent in 2002. However, there is considerable regional disparity since much of this increase is in south and south-east Asia, with hardly any improvement of the situation in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. On the other hand, forecasts with regard to sanitation suggest that at the present rate, the set target might not be met by 2015. This paper examines some of the major challenges that would be encountered in the course of implementing Target 10 and sets in context issues that are of significance for research and policy aimed at addressing strategies for enhancing access to water and sanitation for the poor.