African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

African Water Development Report 2006Figure 7.2: Dynamics of Urban and Rural Population Growth in AfricaMillion2520151050Source: Hassan, 2005AfricaUrban areasRural areas1950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025The growth in urbanization means growth in demandfor water and sanitation. An estimated 81per cent of urban residents have access to safewater and 66 per cent to sanitation facilities. Thesituation is worse in the rural areas where only47 per cent of the people have access to safe water(GEO-2000). However, the urban statisticscombine the richest and poorest residents in asingle average, thereby disguising the daily realityof the poor majority in large slums who lackreasonable access to safe water. For their smallshare of water, the urban poor pay an unfair price,usually at least four and sometimes as much asten times more per litre than the metered rates ofthose living in the elite residential areas (GEO-2000).“Improved” versus “Adequate” Provisionof Water and SanitationMillions of urban dwellers have access to water,sanitation and drainage, but many lack accessto the improved services provided to thericher inhabitants. This leaves them vulnerableto many diseases and the resultant prematuredeaths. Less than half of the people in most urbancentres in Africa, Asia and Latin Americahave water piped to their homes, and less thanone third have proper sanitation even thoughthey often pay high prices for very inadequatewater, sometimes purchased from vendors, andat a price 2–50 times the price per litre paid byhigher-income groups, who receive heavily subsidizedwater piped into their homes (Water andSanitation in the World’s Cities, 2003). However,compared to the rural areas, people living inlarge cities are generally better served.TargetsMillennium Development Goals• Target 10: To halve, by 2015, the proportion ofpeople without sustainable access to safe drinkingwater.• Target 11: To achieve, by 2020, a significant improvementin the lives of at least 100 million slumdwellers.The World Summit on Sustainable Developmentin 2002• To halve, by 2015, the proportion of people whodo not have access to basic sanitation.The problem is not necessarily caused by lack ofgovernment funds. In many cities and smallerurban centres, it is possible to improve water andsanitation provisions in low-income settlementswhile charging their inhabitants less than theycurrently pay for inadequate provision. Governmentsand international agencies need to recognizethat the water and sanitation needs of urban166