Water insecurity means not having reliable, safe and affordable access to clean water.
Over 2 billion people around the world don’t have access to safe drinking water.
There are several causes of water insecurity, including a lack of water infrastructure, armed conflict and even poverty.
Compassion works to fight water insecurity through water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives (WaSH) around the globe.
Water Facts: Understanding Global Water Insecurity
Water insecurity means not having reliable, safe and affordable access to clean water. It’s a challenge that impacts families differently across regions, countries and communities.
For example, some families can get water, but it’s contaminated and unsafe to drink. Some families are forced to travel long distances every day to collect water for drinking and cooking. Other families live in drought-prone areas where water is simply scarce.
The clean water crisis is far-reaching and devastating — and it’s impacting billions of lives around the world.
Quick Facts About the Global Water Crisis
According to the World Health Organization, 2.1 billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water. That’s 1 in 4 people globally.
The above is only the start. A staggering 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity — a lack of sufficient water — for at least one month each year. This means they simply don’t have enough water, safe or unsafe, at all.
Africa is the continent hit hardest by the global water crisis: Around 400 million people can’t access safely managed drinking water in Africa.
Women and children bear the greatest burden. When clean water is scarce, women and children, especially girls, must travel long distances each day to get it, limiting time for education and work. Lack of access also increases the risk of deadly disease and malnutrition, affecting their well-being.
The World Health Organization estimates that 1 million people, including children, die each year from diarrhea because of unsafe drinking water, sanitation and hand hygiene.
Top Water Insecurity Causes
There are many different causes of water insecurity. In some areas, water sources are polluted or destroyed, while in others, water sources are scarce or do not exist at all.
Lack of water infrastructure: Many places around the world simply lack safe water infrastructure like wells, treatment plants and storage tanks. Even if safe water exists, without infrastructure, it can’t reach the families who need it.
Natural disasters: Natural disasters can destroy water infrastructure, contaminate existing water sources or dry them up completely. For example, droughts can dry up wells and surface water, while severe storms can lead to flooding that causes wastewater to overflow into drinking water, making it unsafe.
Conflict and war: Like natural disasters, conflict can also destroy infrastructure and pollute water sources. For example, war can destroy treatment plants, causing wastewater to mix with drinking water. But it can also lead to people being forced to move in large numbers, straining limited water supplies in safer places. It’s also not uncommon for groups to use water as a weapon, blocking access to it to gain power or control.
Pollution: In some places, pollution in the water, including sewage from poor sanitation systems, plastic waste and even chemicals from nearby farming, can make water unsafe.
Poverty: Impoverished communities often can’t afford the cost of building and maintaining water infrastructure like wells. And while families may have the option to buy water from local vendors, the cost is often more than they can manage.
These causes behind water insecurity prevent families from getting the critical water they need for survival, putting their health and well-being at risk.
Want to help provide safe water? Give a water bundle to those in need.
Compassion’s Work to Fight Water Insecurity
To help families in need of safe water, Compassion has water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) initiatives ongoing or being planned for in communities within these 12 countries and beyond.
These initiatives are critical in fighting water insecurity. WaSH initiatives help support health by not only providing access to safe water, but also delivering resources like sanitation systems to manage waste and clean bathrooms so families have safe places to care for their bodies.
At Compassion, these interventions are based on each community’s needs but may include:
Water wells.
Boreholes.
Rainwater harvesting systems.
Filtration systems.
Septic systems.
Toilets and washrooms.
Bringing safe water to all the children and families in need of it isn’t something we can do alone. That’s why we also partner with organizations like Water Mission, an organization working to bring sustainable water solutions to communities in need.
Solar-Powered Water Transforms a Malawian Village
Throughout Africa, there are many communities like Chikuse in Malawi, where a lack of safe water once forced families to walk hours each day in search of it. Lydia, a mother of two, remembers those days well.
“Life without water was unbearable, and getting the water was a struggle. We spent four hours drawing water, and everyone had five or more buckets to fill, so everything would stop to fetch water.” — Lydia
The situation was dire for the village. Many families resorted to digging shallow wells near their homes, but the water wasn’t safe. Waste and dead animals contaminated the water, spreading diseases that hit the children the hardest.
Seeing families in desperate need of help, Compassion, in partnership with Water Mission, installed a solar-powered safe water system. For the first time, the 6,000 people who call the community home had access to safe, crystal-clear water.
Each day, the 10,000-liter solar-powered tank supplies over 30,000 liters of water. The project has not only delivered clean water; it’s also delivered an end to water-related illnesses. The water has also been used for brickmaking; every house in the community has been built using the free-flowing water.
The simple gift of water has opened the door to opportunity for the families of Chikuse. Instead of spending their days fetching water, they’re spending them with one another while building sustainable livelihoods they can use to leave poverty behind.
“We no longer walk miles to fetch water. Our children drink clean and safe water. We now dedicate our time to caring for the children, farming and running small businesses to support our families.” — Lydia
Behind every water statistic is a child, family and community working to overcome the challenges of water insecurity. As Compassion works to expand access to safe water, more families are experiencing the life-changing impact of improved health, restored dignity and the promise of a brighter future. You can join us.
