The International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade in retrospect and implications for the future |
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| Authors: | Pierre Najlis Anthony Edwards |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Pierre Najlis is the Secretary of the ACC Intersecretariat Group for Water Resources, Energy Resources Branch, Office for Development Research and Policy Analysis, Department of International Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 1 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA.;2. Anthony Edwards is the Chief, Water Resources Branch, Natural Resources and Energy Division, UN Department of Technical Co-operation for Development, 1 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA. |
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| Abstract: | In global terms this paper reviews the progress made during the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. There has been considerable progress. In terms of percent receiving water services, the urban areas made good progress: 77% in 1980 to 82% in 1990. In the rural areas progress was even greater, 30% had water services in 1980 versus 63% in 1990. There was also considerable progress in institutional terms. A positive trend towards better linkage betweeen authorities dealing with water supply and sanitation and those dealing with economic development, was one. Another was the awareness of the need for community involvement. In some cases progress was hampered by fragmentation of governmental authorities dealing with water and sanitation at the rural and/or urban level. In the 1990s an important issue will be financing the infrastructure needed to bring water and sanitation services to those not already covered and to an increasing population. Institutional issues will continue to be important as well. |
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