Global Water Crisis: 2.1B Lack Safe Water
Recent Developments
012026-01-26: WHO reported that 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, alongside 3.4 billion without safely managed sanitation and 1.7 billion without basic hygiene services.
022026-09-17: UN/WMO reported that 2025 was one of the driest years for river flows in 35 years, with below-normal discharge across 36% of global river basin area.
032026-10-03: World Bank reporting highlighted continued slow progress in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 68% access to at least basic water services in 2024 and especially low rural coverage.
Interventions
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme tracking household drinking-water, sanitation, and hygiene access to guide national and global policy.
- WHO and UNICEF's Global framework for action 2024–2030, supported by the World Bank, to accelerate WASH systems strengthening.
- National and regional water resilience efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa aimed at expanding basic services and improving drought and flood resilience.
What Works
- Expanding safely managed water systems with stronger governance and reliable maintenance improves long-term access, especially where service delivery is weak.
- Targeting rural and fragile settings with climate-resilient infrastructure helps protect supplies from droughts and floods.
- Prioritizing basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services reduces health risks and inequity, especially in least developed countries and fragile contexts.
How to Help
- Donate to reputable water, sanitation, and hygiene organizations working in high-need countries.
- Support community and international NGOs that build wells, pipes, sanitation, and hygiene systems.
- Advocate for public investment in climate-resilient water infrastructure and equitable access to safe drinking water.
Make an Impact
Donate directly to 5 verified organizations working on this crisis. Every contribution makes a difference.
Donate to Organizations ↓Coming soon: one-click donations distributed across all organizations via our impact protocol.
Raise Awareness
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(23)
WaterAid tackles cholera by addressing the underlying WASH drivers of outbreaks: unsafe water, poor sanitation, and limited hygiene infrastructure. Its approach includes building and improving water systems, sanitation facilities, and hygiene services in vulnerable communities, which directly reduces fecal-oral transmission and helps prevent recurrent outbreaks.
Implements the 'Everyone Forever' approach by partnering with local governments, businesses, and individuals to build and maintain water and sanitation systems that reach every family, health clinic, and school with resilient, long-term solutions, including support for maintenance and climate resilience in areas like Chikhaldara, India.
Offers small, affordable loans through partnerships with financial institutions to empower individuals and communities to install water connections and sanitation facilities in their homes, having reached over 85 million people across 4 continents.
The Water Project addresses water stress by raising funds for safe water access and documenting the severity of the crisis in Iran. Its Iran crisis page frames the problem as a humanitarian water-access issue and directs donations toward bringing safe water closer to communities in need.
